Poutine is without a doubt the most emblematic dish of Quebec. Who can resist that French fry-cheese-sauce triple threat? Customize this classic with variations using new ingredients and original toppings. You just have to know the right basics and use a little creativity to make a restaurant-worthy poutine.
French fries
The classics: Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes are ideal for a poutine. Soak them to remove the starch so that they brown and burn less quickly when cooking. A potato with too much starch will become soft. Double-cooking with a deep fryer will make them super crispy.
Variations: Replace the usual potatoes with fried or baked sweet potatoes or roasted vegetables such as carrots or parsnip. If you use potatoes, make a quick poutine by cutting them into quarters and baking them. You’ll avoid having to wash the fryer, as well as the smell of oil in the kitchen!
The sauce
The classic: A good brown sauce is made of beef broth concentrate (this is the one you find canned at the grocery store) to avoid having to reduce the broth. To thicken the sauce, you can make a roux from flour, butter and milk, or use dark or pale toasted flour depending on how intense you want the sauce to be. A touch of cornstarch will also help thicken the texture.
Variations: Think of a sauce thick enough to top the fries but not soak them. You could use a flavoured béchamel sauce, BBQ sauce or hot chicken sauce. For a gourmet breakfast poutine, prepare a rich hollandaise sauce. Or even drizzle a little ketchup over your poutine!
Cheese
The classic: Almost impossible to replace, cheddar cheese curds are essential thanks to their fresh texture that squeaks under your teeth.
Variations: It is difficult to find the same characteristics as cheese curds, which melt very little under the heat of the sauce and fries. You can achieve the elastic texture in a grilling cheese like halloumi, but you have to eat poutine fast, since it hardens quickly. In some corners of the country, the cheese is grated onto the poutine. If you are a fan of this style, there are endless possibilities with many firm or semi-firm cheeses.
Toppings
The classic: Classic poutine doesn’t have toppings.
Variations: Style your poutine to your liking! Make a decadent version with pieces of caramelized bacon or a more refined poutine with braised beef. Use BBQ leftovers as toppings, like merguez sausage or roast chicken, or even leftover taco meat or pulled pork.
Mixing cultures
Our national poutine has crossed the country and is now being made all over the world. Get inspired by different culinary cultures, as several restaurants now do with their poutine offerings. There’s Portuguese poutine made with chorizo and piri piri sauce, but you can also prepare a version with an Indian-style curry tikka masala poutine or even a General Tao poutine.