Cheese Potatoes (Poutine Precurser)

MarraMamba's Note:

As a Canadian I adore poutine, our French fries smothered in curd cheese and gravy. I always wondered where it came from, and I suspect this French recipe from Laura Calder's French food at Home (FNC)is part of its historic roots. Wonderful dish, double or triple as you wish.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 1

• 5 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 dash balsamic vinegar (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 waxy potatoes , peeled and diced
• 1 cup gruyere (or other hard, white cheese) or 1 cup comte cheese (or other hard, white cheese)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Fry the bacon and remove to paper towel to drain.
2. Pour all but a tablespoon of the fat from the pan and add the butter to get hot.
3. Fry the onion until soft and golden, adding the garlic for a minute or two at the end.
4. Deglaze with a splash of balsamic vinegar, if you like. Remove all to a plate.
5. Add the oil to the pan to get hot.
6. Cook the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, until soft inside when pierced with a fork, and very crisp and golden on the outside. This will take a good 20 minutes, without stirring too much or they won’t get brown.
7. Return the onion, garlic, and bacon to the pan.
8. Scatter the cheese over the top and leave the pan on the heat, covered, until the cheese has melted, about a minute.
9. Serve with mixed salad greens.

Reviews

[rusticgirl]

Haven't tried this yet, but thought I'd share what I've learned about the origins of Poutine. Bill Casselman's 'Canadian Food Words' has an entry on it, and I found a link: http://www.billcasselman.com/canadian_food_words/cfw_six.htm

[QueenBranflake]

OMG, us Canadians know where it's at!!!! YUM YUM YUM!!! For a real crazy poutine, I add fried bacon bits, and lots of pepper! :P

[NcMysteryShopper]

Fabulous! I had a package of Poutine gravy mix that was sent to me by the lovely Leslie from Canada and have saved it for the ZWT. I was so excited I found this recipe to use the gravy with! We LOVED it! I could not find comte cheese so had to use the gruyere option. I also used the balsamic vinegar option to deglaze the pan. Super easy to make and a crowd pleaser. We will definitely have these again! Thank you Marramamba!! Zaar World Tour 4. Whine and Cheese. UPDATE: I chose this recipe for one of my Best of Zaar World Tour 4 picks!