Ca Va Faire Une Maudite Poutine “That’s Going to Make a Damn Mess"

[punchlock]

Before I get into the pics and the recipe I feel it is important to share with you the something of the history of Poutine.
The first poutines were invented in Quebec, and there are many, unconfirmed claims to have invented the poutine which date from the late 50s through the 1970s in the Victoriaville area, about 1 hour out of Montreal.
The earliest date associated with its invention is 1957, which is when restaurantuer Fernand LaChance of Warwick claims that a take-out customer at his restaurant Lutin Qui Rit, requested french fries, cheese in a bag, to which the restaurantuer responded: "ça va faire une maudite poutine" (That's going to make a damn mess").

My history with Poutine began much later. I was on a family vacation to visit realatives in the town of Gradby Quebec. My Mononc Albiouse (uncle Albiouse) took me to tour his work where he was a sawyer in a saw mill. Now Mononc Albiouse was a huge man who seemed to command respect from everyone we met during our tour. Perhaps this is why I tended to have respectful fear of the man that I would come to know as caring and mild. Being a child interested in all things mechanical the tour left a big impression on me. As we left the mill he stopped at a local diner where he proceeded to order us lunch. He did not even ask what I wanted, he just ordered it. Deux Poutine he said. Now the word Poutine was foreign to me and I was too fearful to ask any questions so we both sat uncomfortably quietly waiting for lunch.

Well lunch arrives and I am not pleased with what I see. I am also aware that you eat what your given and being as I was far to scared to upset Mononc Albiouse I resigned myself to eating what laid before me. Now what laid before me seemed to be a plate of fries ruined by gravy and some other indistinguishable foreign matter that I would come to know as white cheddar cheese curds. Mononc Albiouse began to eat then looked at me with a stoic grin and that's when I begrudgingly followed his lead.

Now with no point of reference for this new food I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The first bite was not what I expected and I soon found myself greatly relieved that this plate of food was actually quite good, no not just good fantastic! Needless to say I finished it all and Mononc Albiouse and I headed back for home.

It was many years later before Poutine would start to be seen in northern Ontario where I lived. The first place to serve it was a restaurant / confectionary store known as Chez Nous (Our House). Now Chez Nous was not the pettiest place in town nor was the woman doing the cooking. We affectionately called her La Gros moche (the big ugly). She made a fantastic poutine and to this day the same chip shop still keeps patrons coming. Mononc Albiouse later moved to northern Ontario and farmed for many years. I spent many summers throwing hay bales in Mononc Albiouse's fields until his death about six years ago. I miss him and tonight with my kids by my side we had a little visit with Mononc Albiouse as we ate I recounted my story of Poutine to them. Enough reminiscing time to show you my poutine.....  :( :)

Fresh white cheddar cheese curds

white potatoes

beef or chicken broth (I prefer beef)

butter and flour for a roux

Here I have fried the skin on fries and pulled them early, they will be fried twice

roux is cooking till it's a darker shade of brown.

here is the roux all darkened up and ready to meet the beef stock

roux has been incorporated into beef stock and will be kept hot till fries are ready

double deep tried fries all ready

Time to plate, it's pretty simple first fries

cheese curds

fries to cover

more cheese curds

all topped off with the beef sauce

There you have it french Canadian Poutine
   


Give it a try I am sure you will love it, just don't tell your doctor. Apologies for babbling on so long......

[Quarlow]

One of the few great things to come from Quebec, just kidding.  ;D Truly an awesome tasty treat. Great story.

[squirtthecat]

Oh, baby!!!   You need to come down to Springfield, IL sometime...   We've got a very distant cousin to that called a 'Horseshoe'.

(white bread toast covered with meat covered in fries covered in a spicy cheese sauce)


Punch, that is a great story, thanks for sharing!

[smoker pete]

Thanks for sharing that story.  On our way to Alaska this summer we stopped in many small towns in British Columbia for lunch and saw people eating french fries with gravy on it.  I now wish I had taken the time to try some out!!  Next time through ...  :) :)

[StickyDan]

Calice Punch, ca lair bon!!!!
Ok so my french isn't what it used to be but I think you get the idea.  Nice work on the poutine. 

I grew up in Southern Ontario and my family is French however when I grew up, I had a very different definition of Poutine.  I was probably in high school when I learned that french fries smothered in gravy and cheese curds is what everybody else calls poutine.
In my family, poutine was a completely different dish.  My grandmother (meme as we called her) used to make it all the time and man could she cook. What she called poutine was the following:  dough made of flour and egg flattened with a rolling pin than cut in to rectangles (about 1"x2").  The little rectangles (poutines) where than cooked in a thick chicken broth.  Not as thick as gravy but thicker than chicken soup.  That was it.  Plain and simple but oh so tasty.  Some people call them Sliders - because they're so hard to pick up with a fork.
It was usually served with chicken or turkey, mashed potatoes, maybe some corn or various other things.  I sure miss grandma and her cooking.  Maybe I should try to recreate her recipe.  Hmmmm

[Habanero Smoker]

I enjoyed the story. This does look good, and I may give this a try.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Punch, sounds like you had a great trip down memory lane with your boys.  It's a wonderful story, and thanks for sharing it with us.

That Poutine looks so good.  I may just have to try it before long.

[RAF128]

My wife orders it quite a bit and likes it.    I've tried it and,,,,, it's not for me :-\.   Different tastes I guess.    I like my fries covered in gravy and ketchup.

[kinyo]

Vive la poutine!!!  ;D

I'm living in Montreal & I LOVE poutine! It's so good, but I never had the idea to do the sauce myself.

I shoud try to do it. I have a frozen leftover of pulled pork in the freezer, it would be awsome on top of a poutine.

[KyNola]

Loved the story and what's not to like about the dish?  Brown gravy, potatoes and cheese!

SD, your version sounds like what my family would call dumplings.

I would hammer both versions of Poutine and I'm not even remotely French.

[Caneyscud]

Last time in Quebec City, I saw people eating this in the outdoor cafes.  Did not even ask what it was.  I actually at first thought it was a Hot Brown with fries on it.  Went down to Trader Joes to get some cheese curds last Friday night.  But alas, they quit carrying them all the time.  Only place in town, I could get the curds.  Guess I'll have to wait before I can try Poutine.

[FLBentRider]

It sounds interesting.

I did not see it on any menus in New Brunswick this summer.

I did get some cheese curds - a little heavy on the salt, but good.

[kinyo]

They don't do that kind of poutine in New Brunswick. It's pretty much only in the province of Quebec. In New Brunswick they do a Poutine râpée. It consists of a boiled potato dumpling with a pork filling; it is usually prepared with a mixture of grated and mashed potato. It is completly different of what we do here in Quebec. 

[deb415611]

Only place in town, I could get the curds.  Guess I'll have to wait before I can try Poutine.

Caney - This could be the reason you need to start making cheese ;D

[Steve81]

Looks Good! This is a resturant here in Toronto that takes the poutine and changes it up...... check out the menu....... Just seem appropriate for this forum!! www.smokespoutinerie.com