LET’S MAKE POUTINE
For the most part, I try to eat clean and healthy. It makes me feel good and I need that to be able to make it through long, busy days. I’m also heading out on vacation soon, so that’s even more encouragement to eat right, but let’s face it—sometimes you just get a huge craving for something rich and hearty and not so healthy. That happened today. If there’s anything better than french fries, it’s french fries covered in savory gravy and melty cheese curds. If you’ve never had poutine before, get ready. This Canadian-staple is one of my favorite indulgences and it’s ridiculously easy and cheap to make. We even busted out the deep fryer for this one! The kids love it—in fact, there are zero leftovers. We also thought of a cool way to kick our poutine up a notch by adding my favorite red-onion marmalade to the mix and making a grilled poutine sandwich, too. Yes, you read that right!
Red Onion Marmalade (via Curtis Stone):
3 medium red onions, halved, cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
Poutine:
1 bag of frozen country cut french fries (or fresh-cut, if preferred)
1 jar of savory beef gravy of choice (or you can make from scratch)
1 cup of cheese curds
Butter
Directions:
Start with the onion marmalade. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet, allowing it to coat the entire bottom of the pan. Next, add the sliced onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add more butter if needed. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the sugar and combine well. Pour in the cooking wine and vinegar and continue to cook, frequently stirring, for about 15 minutes or just until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm. Now, for the poutine! We used a deep fryer for our fries (because we like to party) but you can bake them for a healthier option. Add the fries to the deep fryer, cooking for 5-7 minutes while monitoring the color. Repeat this twice for extra crunchy fries. Remove when the fries are golden brown and crispy, and let drain for just a few seconds. Put the fries in large bowl and immediately sprinkle on preferred seasonings to taste (so that it sticks to the hot oil). We used all-seasoning, oregano, and black pepper. Next, pour the gravy in a sauce pan and heat just until hot. Plate by simply layering on a generous amount of fries, add a heaping handful of cheese curds, scoop 2-3 tablespoons of the onion marmalade, and top with as much gravy as you’d like (the more the better!). If you want to take this to the next level, which we did, grill some freshly-made sourdough bread in a skillet with butter and layer the poutine into a sandwich for the ultimate grilled pontine-cheese sandwich.
Enjoy!
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