In honor of the Yaniv subforum speculating that the child molesting fuck is going to war with a fry stand, I present my take on this classic Canadian recipe. I'm considering doing more recipes themed to lolcow happenings, that might be a fun cooking challenge, as well as an excuse to tweak and experiment with my existing recipes.
I actually took a while experimenting with this after a trip to Quebec, long before the Yaniv thing, and haven't had the chance to write this one down. To our Northern friends, the addition of pork belly and some herbs may seem like a slightly more involved poutine rather than the traditional gravy/cheese curds/fries affair. This might anger those who like their poutine old school, but I'd argue this remains in the spirit of the dish as a quick, dirty comfort food. Given current affairs, I'm going to name it:
The Scootypuff Poutine Special
Ingredients:
Fries:
-4-5 large russet potatoes, washed
-Peanut oil, enough to fill your dutch oven or deep fryer
-Sea salt
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
-1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
-1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
For the fries:
-Cut your potatoes into lengthwise pieces, thick or thin as you want your fries to be.
-Place all fries into a bowl filled with water and agitate. Then pour the water out, refill, and do this again and again until the water runs clear. We're trying to get all the starch from the outside of the fries so we can get them nice and crispy, so be thorough, you cannot overdo this step.
-Let soak for a few hours (helps them get fluffy inside later)
-Drain water, lay fries on lined baking sheet, pat with paper towels until well dry. We don't want any water on them when they go in to fry.
-Fill dutch oven or deep fryer with oil, heat to 300 F, dropping in batches and cooking each batch for 5 minutes. We're not browning them at this point, we're cooking them through, so remove after 5 minutes to drain on a wire rack.
-Once the fries have cooled, heat oil to 400 F, then drop fries in again and cook until crisp, tender, and golden. Remove to a large bowl.
-Immediately after removing from oil, and while still hot, sprinkle liberally with salt and add the garlic powder, oregano, basil, parsley, and cilantro, and toss to combine.
Now you got fries, we need the other accouterments.
Ingredients:
For the gravy
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 cup unsalted butter (that's half a stick)
-2 cups of good quality beef stock or broth
-1 cup chicken stock or broth
-Cracked pepper and salt, to taste
Melt the butter and whisk in the flour to create a roux. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent lumps until slightly darker and nutty smelling. Add in both of the stocks or broths, one cup at a time, whisking to combine between each cup until a thin gravy forms. Remember to add the broth cold to avoid lumps and whisk vigorously. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
For the toppings
-1/2 lbs pork belly, cut into small cubes
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Smoked paprika to taste
-White cheddar cheese curds
-1 bunch chives, finely chopped
-BBQ sauce, HP Brown Sauce, or hot sauce (optional)
Sear your chunks of pork belly in the olive oil on medium heat with salt, pepper, and paprika until cooked through and slightly crispy. Drain and prepare to plate:
Make a large bed of fries in a bowl, then pour over as much gravy as you'd like, top with cheese curds and pork belly, then sprinkle the chopped chives over the top of the whole affair and drizzle with your preferred sauce, if desired.
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Patience and practice, dear kiwis, will reward you with the most incredible (and horrible for you) party snack that you will ever enjoy. If making it for guests, I recommend pairing this with a smokey whiskey or a nice malty ale!
Bon appetit!
