Have you heard of Poutine? The first time I had it was a few years ago when we went skiing up by the Canadian border. French fries and cheese curds covered in a rich brown gravy. Sounds strange, tastes wonderful.

We were recently in Montreal and there was Poutine everywhere. We went to Montreal Poutine (Oh, can you stand it?) for lunch. Sitting outside with a draft beer and a plate piled high with Poutine was just heaven.

Poutine

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
Salt & pepper
2 pounds frozen fries
1/2 pound fresh cheese curd

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the butter and flour. Stir until incorporated. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes for a dark roux.

2. Stir in the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and keep warm.

3. Cook the fries per instructions. Season with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, mound the fries on bowls or plates, crumble on the cheese, and spoon gravy over both the cheese and fries.

Recipe from The Cooking Blog. A definition of Poutine is included there and copied here.

What is Poutine?
The dish originated in rural Quebec, Canada, in the late 1950s. Several Québécois communities claim to be the birthplace of poutine, including Drummondville (by Jean-Paul Roy in 1964), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Victoriaville. One often-cited tale is that of Fernand Lachance, from Warwick, Quebec, which claims that poutine was invented in 1957. Lachance is said to have exclaimed ça va faire une maudite poutine (“it will make a damn mess”), hence the name. The sauce was allegedly added later, to keep the fries warm longer.

Ba ba ba ba ba da ba da. No can sit still when this is on. No can sing along except for Ba ba ba ba da ba das. Here are the lyrics and translation. I stand by my Ba ba bas. No pa pa pas.
Malajube-Montreal -40C

More Montreal related goodness.
The Stills-Of Montreal

Cheers!