“The Poutine” by Jean-François Plante
Jean-François Plante's recipe
Prep time 45 min • Yield 4 servings • Cook time 15 min • Store 2-3 days in refrigerator
Ingredients:
4 to 8 red potatoes
2 cups cheese curds
2 cups homemade Poutine sauce (see recipe)
2 cups shredded braised pork or shredded duck confit
2 stalks green onions, chopped Ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat the deep fryer to 300°F
2. Clean and cut the red potatoes into sticks.
3. As soon as they are cut, put the potato sticks in a salad bowl filled with cold water. Rinse well.
4. Drain through a sieve and place the potatoes on a dry cloth or paper towel.
5. Blanch the potatoes in the deep fryer until they break easily in half (should remain white and able to break). Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Increase the temperature of the deep fryer to 350°F.
7. Fry the potatoes until golden brown then pat dry on paper towels. Immediately season with salt.
8. Place the fries in a serving bowl and sprinkle with some of the cheese curds.
9. Add another layer and top with shredded pork.
10.Pour the homemade Poutine sauce over the top.
11.Finish by adding the chopped green onion and ground pepper.
Homemade Red-Beer Poutine Sauce
Prep time 10 min • Yield 2 cups • Cook time 30 min • Freeze 1 to 2 months • Store 3 to 5 days in refrigerator
Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tsp honey 2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tsp dried oregano
Three pinches cayenne or Espelette pepper
1 tbsp herbes salées
2 tbsp Bovril
125 ml (1/2 cup) red beer
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
2 tbsp brown roux
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the honey and caramelize for 3 minutes. Add the ketchup, paprika, thyme, oregano, pepper, cayenne pepper and herbes salées. Mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Deglaze with the beer and reduce until almost dry.
4. Add the broth and beef Bovril and reduce by half over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve.
5. Return the sauce to the saucepan, bring to a boil and stir in the brown roux, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Reduce over low heat, whisking a few times, for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. This will concentrate the flavours and texture.