Canadian French Fries Hold The Ketchup!

My parents and I spent anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks a year in Canada for the first 15 years of my life. We formed many friendships while there and got to experience a wide range of food from many different provinces. While visiting areas of Quebec we noticed that everywhere we went they served an item called; "Poutine", it is a very popular snack food there. Poutine is actually a plate of French fries but don't go reaching for the ketchup, these fries are served with cheese curds and hot gravy. May not sound good, it doesn't actually look good but boy it sure tastes good and that's what matters most. The only downfall that I have found making them in the states is the cheese curds I have to use. In Canada they are known for their fresh cheese curd, which are very buttery and salty. Here I rely on the packaged brands in the dairy case which are fine just a bit bland in comparison. The curd actually adds that saltiness we like with our fries, I haven't tried this yet but I was thinking that feta cheese might also work well with this given that it too is quite salty.

Poutine

1 portion of crinkle-cut French fries (any brand)

1 cup heated chicken or beef gravy

1 small bag of curd cheese

Bake or deep fry French fries as indicated on the package.
Spread out evenly on a plate and add curd cheese (as much as desired). Once gravy is steaming hot, pour over cheese and French fries.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Photo/JoeShablotnik/Flickr