Gluten-Free, Vegan Canadian Poutine

To me, poutine (pronounced poo-teen) is the purest Canadian comfort food. Rich, warm brown gravy coating each freshly made, crispy fry, then just for good measure topped with chunks of melty, gooey cheese. It’s the ultimate bowl of savory, messy goodness!

It’s hearty, classic and crazy delicious any time of day, though it is known to cure some hangovers so remember that next time you’ve had a bit too much of the drink. Note: I do not recommend trying to make this from scratch if you’ve had too much to drink. Stick to a fast-food alternative (like from late night diners or even New York Fries). Unfortunately they won't be vegan or gluten-free; however, New York Fries’ gravy is vegetable-based as opposed to beef-based and therefore is vegetarian-friendly. Hooray!

If you’re new to poutine it is definitely a fork and knife dish. Wayyy to messy for a finger food.

Additional toppings are a personal choice. I love dipping each fork-full of poutine in some white vinegar and occasionally a little ketchup too. Extra mess = extra yummy, eh?

The dish has been made over and over and over again from upscaled with duck gravy to the humble bowl found at Harvey’s. But for a tasty alternative to this version, try using sweet potatoes for the fries instead of russets. It’s goooooood!

And speaking from experience, you’ll have no problem finding taste testers for this dish whatever way to decide to make it. Just don’t taste test too much. It is best when all the pieces are together :)

GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN CANADIAN POUTINE

Ingredients

For Fries:

• 2 large russet potatoes, cut into strips or wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

For Gravy:

• 3 tbsp vegan butter substitute
• 1/3 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• Salt & pepper, to taste

For Topping:

• 3/4-1 cup mozzarella cheese alternative, chunked or grated*
• White vinegar and ketchup (optional)

*Traditional Poutine uses cheese curds, but cheese curd alternatives are hard to find and chunked or grated cheese tastes just a good!

Directions

For Fries:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil over fries and toss to mix.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Arrange fries on baking sheet and cook 25-35 minutes, turning halfway through. Cooking time depends on the cut-thickness of each fry.
5. Remove tray and turn off oven. For Gravy:
6. In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter then sauté onions and garlic until golden brown.
7. Reduce heat to medium then gradually add flour while continuously stirring until smooth (no lumps).
8. Continue stirring, add soy sauce and water to the roux.
9. Salt and pepper to taste.
10. Allow gravy to simmer 2-4 minutes until mixture has reached desired thickness.
11. Remove from heat and serve.

For Poutine:

1. Divide fries on plates, add shredded cheese then pour gravy over immediately.

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RECIPES FROM THE "EH" TEAM (CANADIANS):