French Onion Poutine
Last night on The National from London for the Queens Diamond Jubilee (I was in London for her Silver one), they were in a Canadian Pub called The Maple Leaf which serves only Canadian beer and I am assuming Canadian food. Peter Mansbridge was asking diners about the poutine and this reminded me of a recipe that I had recently concocted.
This recipe takes a leap from an authentic French Canadian version, to achieve a French Country Cuisine version. It cannot be called authentic, because authentic poutine MUST have cheese curds and this used cubes of cream cheese. But the latter is almost always available in the cheese drawer of kitchen fridges.
- 1 doz. Small unpeeled, red potatoes, cut each potato into 8 wedges
- 2 T olive or canola oil, equally divided
- 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
- 1 T brown sugar
- ½ of a 250 g package of Light Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread, keep refrigerated until ready to use
- 1 pkg. of brown gravy mix
- Preheat oven to 400degrees C.
- Pour 1 T oil onto a heavy baking sheet.
- Slice potatoes and arrange on sheet with a flat/potato side down.
- Roast for 10 minutes or until the down-side is golden brown (longer depending upon your oven).
- Turn to opposite side with tongs & return to oven for the same amount of time.
- Slice onion and place in a pan with 1 T oil & 1 T brown sugar over a medium high heat
- Stir frequently until onions are caramelized.
- Remove cheese from fridge and cut into small cubes.
- Prepare gravy according to package directions.
- When potatoes have roasted, arrange on individual plates or 1 large platter.
- Add the cheese cubes evenly to potato surface.
- Pour gravy over all.
- Add onions to top.
- If the gravy does not cause the cheese to soften & melt to your liking, place in microwave for 3+ minutes.
Now that you are going to want to tell your family what you have made them for dinner, you are going to have to know how to pronounce the dish. Here is your audio reference from the University of Manitoba.
Kath’s quote: “My dear boy, when curds are churned, the finest part rises upward and turns into butter. So too, dear boy, when food is eaten the choice parts rise upward and become mind.”– Mark Kurlansky
To all of my fellow Poutine Lovers out there: in the immortal words of a favorite Quebec Celebrity “I love you! I kiss you!”
