Chip Truck · Quebec Original

Poutine

Name: Poutine recipe
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: For the fries: 1 kg floury potatoes (such as Russet or Maris Piper), oil for frying, salt; For the gravy: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons plain flour, 2 cups (500 ml) hot beef stock, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, black pepper, salt; 250 g fresh cheese curds, at room temperature

Photo: Allen Y / Unsplash · Unsplash License

Real poutine cheese curds are supposed to squeak when you bite them — if they don't squeak, cooks consider them past their prime.

Hot, crisp french fries are smothered in brown gravy and fresh cheese curds, which soften but never fully melt under the heat. It originated at rural Quebec roadside snack bars — chip trucks known as casse-croûtes — in the late 1950s, and is now sold from poutine counters and food trucks across the country.

Why it's made this way: The dish grew out of small-town Quebec chip-truck culture, where cooks began piling local dairy cheese curds and gravy onto a basic order of fries, turning a cheap snack into a heartier meal that could be eaten standing up at a roadside stand.

What is Poutine?

Poutine is a Canadian dish of hot french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and smothered in brown gravy. The hot gravy softens the curds without fully melting them, so they stay soft and a little squeaky between the crisp fries.

It comes from rural Quebec, where it is most often dated to the late 1950s at roadside snack bars, with towns such as Warwick and Drummondville among those that claim it, and it is now sold from food trucks, diners and restaurants across Canada.

How to make poutine

Serves 4 · prep 40 min · cook 35 min

Ingredients

For the fries: 1 kg floury potatoes (such as Russet or Maris Piper), oil for frying, salt
For the gravy: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons plain flour, 2 cups (500 ml) hot beef stock, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, black pepper, salt
250 g fresh cheese curds, at room temperature

Method

Cut the potatoes into 1 cm sticks, leaving the skin on if you like. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly.
Make the gravy: melt the butter in a pan, whisk in the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes until it turns light brown. Slowly whisk in the hot stock, then simmer for 8–10 minutes until it coats a spoon. Season with Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, pepper and salt. Keep it hot.
First fry: use a deep, heavy pot filled no more than halfway with oil, and heat it to 140 °C and cook the fries in batches for 5–6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Drain and rest for 10 minutes.
Second fry: heat the oil to 180 °C and fry the fries again for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain, then salt them straight away.
Pile the hot fries into bowls, scatter the cheese curds over them, and pour over the very hot gravy. Serve immediately.

Tips

Fresh curds matter. They should be mild and squeak when you bite them; fridge-cold or old curds will not soften properly.
The gravy must be hot, or the curds will not warm through.
Frying twice gives fries that stay crisp under the gravy.
Serve at once. Poutine does not wait.

Regional versions

Gravy varies by town. Some are made with chicken stock or a mix of chicken and beef, and some are a little peppery.
Modern versions add pulled pork, smoked meat or mushrooms.
Without curds, mozzarella is a common substitute, though the texture is different.

Questions

What cheese is used in poutine?

Fresh cheese curds, usually cheddar curds. They are mild, springy and squeak when fresh.

Can I use frozen fries?

Yes. Bake or fry them until very crisp, then assemble straight away.

Where does poutine come from?

Rural Quebec, most often dated to the late 1950s. Several towns, including Warwick and Drummondville, claim to have invented it, so the exact origin is disputed.