Before leaving work for the weekend, I overheard a couple co-workers discussing local bar food. Poutine to be precise. So I got to thinking. How could I make this on the grill?

This is a meal that is deceptively simple sounding. Really only three ingredients when you get down to it.

Potatoes
Gravy
Cheese Curds

But, you know me. Let’s make it right! From scratch.

METHOD

1. Preheat your grill to medium, 350°.
2. Scrub and roughly peel the potatoes. If there is skin left on them, that is alright. The best french fries aren’t perfect. You can use a french fry maker, or cut the potatoes into fries no wider than a ½-inch and as long as you want them to be.
3. Rinse the potatoes again, then place them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle them with Bone Dust. (And maybe some garlic powder)
4. Grill-bake the potatoes for about 30 minutes, flipping them at the 15 minute mark.
5. If you want these a little or a lot more crispy than baked, you can always fry them up as well. Warm your oil of choice and fry the baked potato fries until they have the colour and consistency you wish them to have. So anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes.

Gravy
Cook an entire prime rib roast and throw everything but the drippings out.
…Kidding!

1. Melt the drippings, or the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the onion until it is soft, but does not begin to caramelize or brown.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for three minutes. The roux (thats what fat + flour makes) will become a rich caramel brown colour.
3. Slowly add the stock while stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately lower that to a simmer. Reduce the sauce for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is a satisfying thickness.
4. Add the worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly

1. Put the potatoes onto an oven safe dish.
2. Sprinkle with cheese curds.
3. Pour the gravy over top.
4. Back on the grill to bake for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Enjoy.

Okay. This is way too good. I am really hoping to score some roast drippings from Thanksgiving (in Canada). I am so glad that I made this on Monday night.

While researching this lovely dish, I stumbled upon something that I cannot decide if it’s hardcore or completely ludicrous! This person made Poutine Pizza. You can read their blog post here. They went all out with this one, making everything by hand.
Tell me what you think.

Now some would say that this way, fries, gravy, cheese curds, is the ONLY way. But there seems to be many iterations and variations on the concept and recipe. For example:
Sweet – Use sweet potato fries instead of regular potatoes.
Italian – Use marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Mexican – Add carne asada, guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

What other variations have you seen or heard of, or even tried? What did you think of it?

Happy Grilling!