Poutine
Hot, crispy fries piled with squeaky cheese curds and smothered in rich, peppery gravy, Quebec’s famous late-night food made at home.
- 40 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.63 a serving
- 760 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 lb frozen French fries, 1 bag
- 12 oz cheese curds
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp ketchup
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp water, cold
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 760 calories, 26 g protein, 59 g carbs and 47 g fat, and costs about $2.63 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No beef broth? Bone broth works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to the temperature on the fries bag, usually 425°F. Spread the fries on two in a single layer.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Take the cheese curds out of the fridge so they can warm up while the fries bake.
Dolly’s tip: Room-temperature curds soften under the hot gravy. Cold ones stay stubbornly firm.the fries as the bag says, usually 20 to 25 minutes, turning halfway, until deep and .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 22 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Give them an extra 5 minutes. Gravy softens fries, so start them extra crisp.Meanwhile, the butter in a over medium, stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the broth and ketchup and .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heat
Stir the cornstarch into the cold water to make a , it into the broth, and simmer 2 minutes, until as thick as heavy cream. Add the pepper, taste for salt, and keep it hot on low.
Slurry. A slurry is cornstarch or flour stirred into a little cold water until smooth. Stirred into a simmering sauce, it thickens it within a couple of minutes without lumps.
How you’ll know: It looks like milk with no lumps, and the sauce turns glossy and thick once it bubbles again.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 2 min
Pile the hot fries into bowls, scatter the curds over them, and ladle the hot gravy on top. Eat right away.
Dolly’s tip: The gravy needs to be very hot so it melts the curds a little. Rewarm it for a minute if it’s been sitting.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
