Feeling like having a tasty poutine right now? Here’s a simple guide on how to make poutine at home!

I originally wrote that post in September 2007, but it unfortunately got lost a few months ago… meaning I erased it by mistake. A reader who had bookmarked it tried to access it and received a 404. I’m so sorry, Tambrey! Here is the original post with a few modifications thrown in.

Last night when I got home, I thought, “a Joe Bob poutine would be really nice right now.” (I’ll get back to the Joe Bob thing later.) Excited, I took my keys, jumped into the truck, and headed over to our local fast food joint. While driving, I realized the “poutine” was in fact the ultimate geek food for us here in “La belle province“, even more so than pizza!

I really don’t see why it shouldn’t be that way for the rest of the world! This is probably the only post I’ll ever write about my local “fine-cuisine,” so enjoy it while it lasts.

How to make poutine and its many variations:

The poutine (poo-teen) is a very versatile dish that can be served as a side dish to hot dogs and hamburgers, or can be eaten as a main dish. It is also a very popular choice to set your stomach straight after a night of heavy drinking.

What you need:

1- French fries. You can make your own or buy them in the frozen section of your grocery store. I usually go for the frozen stuff. It’s a lot less messy, and they only take a few minutes to prepare in the oven or an air fryer, which is my prefered way of cooking them.

2- The sauce. Here’s a basic recipe for poutine sauce (makes 4 cups)

• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. of cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. of water
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 6 tbsp. of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water in a small bowl or mug
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the flour. Mix the flour in the butter and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Throw in the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds)
3. Add the broth to the saucepan and stir everything with a whisk, bringing the stock to a boil. Add the water and cornstarch mixture and let simmer for around 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add pepper to taste.

And if you are in a hurry, just take some pre-prepared (powder form) brown or BBQ sauce (like the stuff they use on chicken). Much easier that way! Since we’re not in 2007 anymore, you might also find actual poutine sauce at your local grocery store. But let me tell you something: the homemade sauce listed above tastes way better than commercial products.

3- A bag of fresh cheese curds. You want those to be really fresh! How can you tell? When you eat a piece, they have to squeak loudly in your mouth, just like the sound it makes when you are cleaning a window. If you can’t find that kind of cheese, you can use grated cheddar or mozzarella, but it’s really not as good. You can also find cheese curds online on Amazon nowadays (affiliate link). Not sure if these are any good, though.

For those curious about what cheese curds look like, I bought a small bag to take a picture for this article this morning:

This is what fresh cheese curds are supposed to look like.

When you have all the ingredients handy, follow these instructions:

1. Dump a bit of cheese curds on the bottom of a bowl
2. Cover them with fries
3. Cover the fries with a good fistful of curds
4. Pour sauce on top of everything
5. Enjoy

Sounds disgusting? Maybe, but it’s absolutely delicious. Here are a few extras you can add to your poutine:

• Fried onions
• Chopped hot dog sausages
• Chicken
• Peas (I can’t stand them)
• Replace the traditional sauce with a Bolognese one. We call this an Italian poutine.

Get the idea? Use you imagination. I’m sure you’ll come up with some fantastic variations. One of my personal favorite is made with butter chicken. (Pictured below, photo by yours truly.)

Oh and about that Joe Bob thing: it’s the name of a poutine served in my home town. It’s a regular poutine, but the chef adds some fried onions and chopped hot dog sausages to the mess. It’s extremely good (just not for your behind!).

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