Sometimes simple is best, and this Poutine Recipe - made from twice-cooked fries, topped with rich, meaty gravy and finished with gooey cheese is the perfect answer. Simple, delicious comfort food.
4medium floury potatoesRooster or Maris Pipers are good
Also:
200g(7 oz) fresh mozzarellaor if you can find them, fresh cheese curds
pinchsalt and pepper
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes, until the onion is softened and lightly caramelized.
3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 onion
Sprinkle on the flour and stir together to form a roux.
6 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
Add the chicken stock, a splash at a time, whilst stirring with a whisk until you get a thick sauce.
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) good quality chicken stock
Stir in the beef stock, salt and pepper.
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) good quality beef stock, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
At this point you can remove the onions with a slotted spoon if you like (the onions were used for flavour, so you can keep them, or remove them if you prefer a smooth gravy).
Continue to heat the gravy whilst stirring until it comes to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and continue stirring the gravy until the gravy thickness is to your liking. Turn off the heat.
Now heat the vegetable oil for the chips in a large heavy-based pan (don’t fill the pan more than half full) over a medium-high heat, until hot. Ideally, you're looking for a temperature of around 140C/285F, but if you haven't got a heavy-duty thermometer, don't worry, we'll do the 'chip test' when it comes to cooking the chips.
vegetable oil for frying
Slice the potatoes into chunky chips about 1cm thick. Pat them with kitchen roll to remove excess moisture.
4 medium floury potatoes
Do the 'chip test' - place one chip in the oil. If it gently sizzles, it’s perfect.
Carefully lower a ladle full of the chips into the pan using a mesh ladle. The oil may boil more rapidly, so it’s best to lower slowly to ensure the oil doesn’t overflow.
Cook for 5-6 minutes until the potatoes are a very pale brown. Remove from the oil and transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen roll to drain.
Continue with the rest of the chips, working in batches.
Once cooked, turn up the oil to 180C/350F (or just turn up the heat to high).
This time you can work in two or three batches. Again carefully lower a ladle full of the chips into the pan using a mesh ladle. You can add more chips, so long as you don't overcrowd the pan. The chips need enough oil so they can still move around the pan.
Cook for a further 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Remove from the oil and transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen roll to drain. You can keep the cooked chips warm by placing them on a baking tray in a low-temperature oven.
When all of the chips are cooked, reheat the gravy in the pan, stirring often.
Transfer half the chips to a large serving bowl and sprinkle on the half the mozzarella cheese. Pour over a ladle full of gravy.
200 g (7 oz) fresh mozzarella
Add the remaining chips and the remaining mozzarella, then pour over more gravy. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt and pepper and serve.