Poutine

April 26, 2011

Does anyone south of the Mason-Dixon know what poutine is? And no, I do not mean you guys from Ontario who flood Hwy 278 on your way into Hilton Head every October, running from the snow as fast as you can. Have any of my Southern readers ever heard of or had a dish called poutine?

I'm sure some of you have, since some of us have Canadian family members and watch the Food Network on the regular. I had never heard of poutine until I attended the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. My first taste of poutine was at a snack stand at Whistler. Doug and I were on our "honeymoon" there, and we got hungry before the Women's Luge. The selections were typical for event food....if you're in Canada....Cheese sandwiches, poutine, sausages in a bun, and french fries. Doug became very excited about this poutine thing, which I had never heard of.

Poutine is classic Canadian (ok, ok, FRENCH Canadian) hangover food. This is Canada's version of smothered and covered hashbrowns at the Waffle House at 4 AM and you've lost too many electrolytes from your system along with your cell phone.

I decided after watching a Rehab Recipes episode of Bitchin' Kitchen to try and make a local version of the dish. Fortunately, I was not hung over when I made this. I don't think anyone would want to MAKE this in their kitchen when experiencing a hangover. I think that such a person should go down to their local greasy spoon or Canadian McDonalds and have someone else just dish it up for you!

This is my full-meal version of Poutine, Southern Style! I call it......

Southern Sweet Potato Cheese Fries

This recipe is enough for 2 people. If you live with a Marine or a teenage son, double the recipe!

Stuff you need:

1 large sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/4 inch fries (they cook faster if super thin!)

1 pound of grass-fed local ground beef (I used 90% lean)

Handful of shredded Sweetgrass Dairy Thomasville Tomme, or, sharp cheddar--If you can FIND some cheese curds, just use those! I looked at Whole Foods AND Fresh Market and could not find these mystical cheese curds that is classic for poutine.

2 cups of beef, chicken or veggie stock

1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter OR, 1 tablespoon COLD bacon fat

2 tablespoons of flour

1 clove of garlic, minced.

1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped fine

Fresh ground black pepper

Sea salt or Fleur de sel, for that extra French flair

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

First, heat your oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat the sweet potatoes in olive oil, and put them into a thin layer on a baking sheet or stone. Bake for 20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes or so, making sure they don't burn!

In a cast iron skillet, cook your onion in the olive oil until translucent, then add your ground beef until brown and cooked through. Add the garlic in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Take the beef mixture out of the pan and set aside, but keep the rendered fat in the pan.

Add the tablespoon of bacon fat into the pan on medium heat, and add your flour. You will whisk these two together until you get a light brown roux, about the color of peanut butter.

Slowly start adding the 2 cups of stock into the roux, constantly whisking to dissolve clumps. Once integrated, add in your onion/beef/garlic mixture. Add the herbs in at this point. Reduce this "gravy" until it coats the back of a spoon. Once thick, add salt and pepper to taste.

Once your fries are semi-crispy, put them on a cooling rack and dust them in sea salt or the salt of your choice.....a little smoked salt might not be bad here.

On a plate, put down your fries first, then ladle on the beefy gravy. Next, add the grated tomme/cheddar/cheese curds to your liking, and then garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

YUM!

You can't eat my version with your fingers. :)

Now that is something that all the meat 'n potatoes guys can get into....no matter where you're from!