Poutine is a Canadian Classic for fast food and take-out, but it isn’t something that has to only be from restaurants. It’s super easy to make your own poutine at home just how you like it, and making perfect fresh-cut fries couldn’t be simpler when you use an induction cooktop like the Monogram 36-inch Built-In Induction Cooktop!
All you need to make your own poutine at home is:
- 3-4 Large Russet Potatoes
- 1/2 cup Cheese Curds
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 packet Brown Gravy Mix
- 3L Canola Oil
- Large Stock Pot.
- Instant Read Thermometer
- Asian Strainer
- Baking Sheet Pan
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- Medium Sauce Pot
- Whisk
- Ladle
- Start by making the gravy in a medium sauce pot. I like using beef stock for this to get a richer gravy; however, water also works if you don’t have beef stock.
- Next, cut your potatoes into 1cm x 1cm French fries. You can peel your potatoes first if you want, but I enjoy leaving the skins on them.
- In a large bowl, soak your fries in cold water for 15 minutes.
- While your fries are soaking, half-fill a large stock pot with canola or any other high-smoke point oil, and heat the oil to 300F, checking with an instant-read thermometer.
- Strain the fries off and place them on a baking sheet pan lined with a paper towel. Use more paper towels to press the fries and remove as much water as possible.
- In small batches, cook the fries in the oil for 4-5 minutes before removing and letting them drain on another paper towel-lined baking sheet. Make sure the oil comes back up to temperature between batches.
- Once all the fries are cooked, allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes. While the fries cool, heat the oil up to 400F.
- In small batches, again cook the fries a second time, this time until golden brown and crispy.
- Using an Asian strainer, remove the cooked fries from the oil and put them into a large bowl lined with paper towel. Season with salt immediately.
- While the fries are hot, half fill a bowl to serve the poutine in, add 1/3 of the cheese curds, then add more fries to fill the bowl before topping with the rest of the cheese curds and a good ladle of gravy.
This twice-cooked method of cooking fries is a fantastic way to guarantee the inside of your fries are light and fluffy, while the outside is golden and crispy. You can also try adding different meats to your poutine, mixing different types of cheese in, or even adding some sauces on top of the gravy for an extra layer of flavour!