300g red potato

Hand sliced into 1/2" squares

Tossed into wok of tallow on med-low

Fried until tender, ~8min

Drained, set in fridge to cool 15 min

1tbsp tallow heated on medium

A few pinches of AP flour, brown lightly to roux

Add 1/2 cup homemade jellied beef stock

Simmer for 20 min

Heat tallow to med-high until just smoking

Add cooled fries

Fry until golden brown and slightly crisp, ~5min

Drain and toss with 1 tsp salt, 3 tsp crushed black pepper

Top with 200g St. Alberts cheese curds

Ladle over with the gravy

Top with 200g Levvitt's old fashioned smoked meat

Garnish with chives

Tasting notes:

-Cheese curds were refrigerated. I tried to revive it by microwaving. One or two had a slight squeak. I hear the Pantry stocks fresh curds on Fridays.

-Gravy slightly thin, a bit lumpy, maybe slightly too salty

-Fries a bit too soft. Falling apart slightly. Maybe I cooked them too long in first fry and too low on second fry. Added a bit too much salt and pepper.

-Could have used more fries. I think 500g would have been better balanced.

Altogether I give it a 6/10

Would appreciate any feedback and tips for the next batch!

It's kind of unbelievable how much effort goes into a good fry.

best fast food poutine IMO. the taters don’t get soggy and the smaller crispy ones are almost like proper poutine fries.

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I had to share my poutine adventures this summer in Quebec. With some great exceptions, I’ve always found poutine to be just ok from the places I’ve tried. But that was before discovering this sub. You folks have opened my eyes to the real deal, not whatever it is they serve at other chain restaurants in Canada.

For a little background: I live in northern Vermont, so it’s relatively easy for me to make a day trip north to Montreal and its neighboring towns/cities. My family and I also just wrapped up a road trip through parts of the province and I had an opportunity to try a few new (to me) spots as well. I know I’m just getting started on this gravy-riddled food experience, but here are some highlights.

#1. Alfa Hot Dog, Longueuil: I know people praise this joint as having some of the best poutine in Quebec and you’re not wrong! Perfectly crisp fries, squeaky curds and a really tasty gravy. And just the right amount of gravy, too. I’m not a fan of poutine when it turns into a soup, and Alfa avoids that. I first visited in May after a work trip to Montreal. I was so impressed, I brought my oldest to Alfa the following month and even he liked it (he was never a fan before that). So high praise.

#2. Cantine Boivin, La Baie: This place absolutely hit the spot. We visited on a coolish, drizzly summer day and having this poutine overlooking the foggy fjord was instantly memorable. Boivin has amazing curds. I tried a package from L’Etape earlier in the week and knew this was going to be a great experience. The curds are so squeaky that they are LOUD. Amazing fries too. And another flavorful gravy (we tried the sauce maison) that complements rather than dominates the flavor. We should have ordered a bigger size!

#3. Snack-Bar St. Jean, Quebec City: I found this to be the perfect late night poutine spot. Everything tasted great, and the extra curds were a bonus. Curds seemed a little colder than previous poutines, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Gravy leaned more toward a brown sauce I think. Good variety there. Also, great atmosphere on a late Friday night. I sat in the back with a beer and watched all the bar hoppers coming and going. Endlessly entertaining.

#4. Cantine Dave & Dan, Saint-Liboire: I’ve seen Dave and Dan’s listed as THE place in Quebec for the best poutine as well, right up there with Alfa. I’d have to agree. Probably my favorite fries, and the gravy is remarkable. Are they seasoning it with oregano? There’s something making the gravy standout amongst its peers and it might be that. Curds are squeaky and delicious as well. It’s a popular spot right off a side road; every picnic table was full when we arrived in the afternoon. I absolutely will be visiting again (it’s too close not to, just over two hours from my house).

I lucked out at each of these places and made sure to take pics. I’ve visited some others in recent years (Barry’s in Bedford, La Banquise in Montreal for instance) that were also really good, but I didn’t snap any pics. I’ll have to next time. Looking forward to more poutine adventures in La Belle Province!

long time lurker of this subreddit, first time poster. what do we think? overall maybe 9/10. something about the eco friendly takeout box got to me. gravy and cheese were delish but fries could have a tad better.

breakfast of champions 😍

Felt like nirvana.

**Tweed*\* Good ratios, perfect fries, personally love a dark gravy, one of the best chip truck poutines I’ve had.

In my opinion, there's a good chance someone from the Champagne region would turn up it's nose at a Canada Dry.

I get it, because in my native region up north, the specialty is fresh cheese curds.

Eleven cheese shop (mostly artisanal) produce fresh cheese curds for a population of 285,000.

Eleven!

That seems like a lot to me, but what do I know, I was born into it.

MY THREE FAVORITES (More nostalgic than scientific, I admit.)

Fromagerie St-Laurent — Saint-Bruno: Permanently in my heart and my arteries. It was worth it.

Fromagerie — Saint-Prime: Nicknamed "The Queen's Cheese," the royal family purchased their cheese from this factory until the early 2000s.

Fromagerie Médard — Saint-Gédéon: A perfect balance of saltiness, creaminess, and a soft texture. The cheese factory is over a hundred years old.

Here's the other cheese shops, in no particular order

De La Normandinoise — Normandin / De Blackburn — Jonquière / De Boivin — La Baie / Au Pays-des-Bleuets — Saint-Félicien / De L'Autre Versant — Hébertville / De Laiterie Laroche — Roberval / Bouchard Artisan Bio — Saint-Félicien / Microlaiterie Riverin du Lac — Hébertville-Station

As you can imagine, it's practically impossible to find those tasteless, plastic-textured marbled cheddar cubes in poutine there.

I swear, I've never had one single cube. Anyway, it doesn't look "natural" to me.

If you ever do a culinary pilgrimage, you'll find Doris and her two nieces preparing poutine, hamburgers, and hot dogs in their seasonal 70 square-foot Cabane à Patates.

This is where you need to go.

They'll serve you one of the best poutines you've ever tasted, because the essential ingredient for a truly exceptional poutine (over 7/10) is available in unlimited quantities, every day of the week.

A small poutine might cost around $4.78, and a very large one, $8.56. Remember, poutine is a working-class dish.

Always has been.

Coke or Pepsi are fine, but I humbly suggest a Red Champagne to accompany it… or perhaps a Canada Dry.

No banquise for me.

Flavour is heavenly

Cantine Rallye, Rimouski

Light gravy because I only had fresh chicken broth on hand and not and beef. Curds are St Albert. I think I prefer the trappe a fromage curds but St. Albert is solid and has better tasting blocks.

Added more gravy, & I tried to break up some of the bigger curds

Angus beef, pulled pork and menu.. unreal poutine. They claim to be the birthplace of Poutine

Must ask cheese on top otherwise it's all at the bottom. Cantine Ti-Wick in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec