Step Up Your Poutine Game With Our Canadian Cheese Ambassador

Looking for the perfect recipes to change up your poutine plate?

Download a copy of David Beaudoin’s specially curated recipes and step by step instructions to follow along, or preview his Classic Poutine recipe below! 

Check out these Canadian cheese curd brands that proudly display the Blue Cow logo.

Classic Poutine

Ingredients:

400g of fresh cheese curds

6 large potatoes (Reds are best, Yukon gold, russets)

Salt

Deep Fryer and Oil

Pre-mixed poutine sauce (or home-made gravy)

Chicken-beef base home-made gravy (if using) :

4 tbsp (60 mL) butter

4 tbsb (60 mL) flour

2 cups (500 mL) of boxed chicken broth or real chicken broth 

2 cups (500 mL) of boxed beef broth or real beef broth

1 envelope of dried onion soup mix

1 finely minced garlic clove

⅓ cup (80 mL) of ketchup or BBQ sauce

¼ cup (60 mL) of Bicks hot pepper brine

1 ½ tbsp (22 mL) of cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) cold water

Preparation 

Turn on deep fryer and set at 360 °F (182 °C) ready for blanching.

The cheese: 

 Make sure to get the fresh cheese curds reach room temperature, so take out of the refrigerator 20-25 minutes ahead of time.

Home-made chicken-beef base gravy (if using) : 

1.  In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat and add minced garlic and let fry for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and bring heat up to medium if needed, stirring constantly. Stir and whisk constantly for about 5 minutes (this will create your roux). 

2.  Mix chicken broth, beef broth and dry onion soup mix and make sure it is all well dissolved together. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth mixture to the roux in the pan, keeping the mixture smooth and lump-free. Bring back to medium/medium high heat, then stirring until it comes to a boil. Lower heat a little and keep stirring for 5 more minutes. Turn down heat to low.

3.  Whisk in cornstarch and water mixture, add ketchup/BBQ sauce and continue cooking and whisking for 2 more minutes. Gravy will be thickened and will thicken a bit more when cooled down a little. Set aside and cover. 

The fries: 

1.  Peel off the skin of your potatoes, especially if they are not freshly out of your garden and have a thicker skin. Then cut in long fries about ½ cm square in thickness

2.  Place in a large bowl and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Fill the bowl with icy water and add 3/4 cup (180 mL) of salt and let the potatoes sit in the salted water for one hour. Then spin dry and keep cold.

3.  Deep fry in small amount at a time and cook the fries until a slight golden-brown start appearing on the potatoes (about 6 minutes). Make sure to shake often to avoid them sticking together while cooking.

4.  Set aside on a cooking sheet and let cool off. Refrigerate if possible, for maximum crispiness (about ½ hour).

5.  Cook a second time with oil at maximum temperature 420 °F (220 °C)  until the fries are nice and crispy on the outside, and a darker brown colour. Poor in a stainless-steel bowl, add a pinch of salt.

The poutine: 

1.  Lay a few fresh curds on your plate
2.  Cover with the freshly cooked French fries
3.  Fill your ladle with fresh curds, and then in the poutine sauce/gravy to make sure every piece of cheese is warmed up by the sauce/gravy and let it warm up the cheese for 30 seconds and then cover the fries with the curds and sauce. Add more sauce/gravy if desired.