What We’re Cooking This Week: Crispy Roast Potatoes With Cheese and Gravy

While nobody can agree on who invented it or where the name comes from, poutine—a pile of french fries mixed with cheese curds and topped with gravy—is often called Canada’s national dish. The French-speaking Québécois consider this cultural appropriation since poutine comes from the heart of the Francophone province, although its exact birthplace is still debated. Despite the controversial and murky origins, poutine remains incredibly popular because it’s delicious. And while cheffy versions featuring lobster, beef cheeks, and other fancier ingredients often appear, the classic is still the best.

But I don’t call my version poutine. I think actual potatoes taste much better than fries—which, unless you go to the trouble of making them yourself, almost always come from the freezer (and they’re OK alongside a burger with ketchup, but they don’t have the flavor of fresh spuds). And I love cheese curds, but every time I buy some I get mad that they cost as much as finished cheese. Curds don’t require the extra work to finish and age cheese, and it seems wrong that they’re not cheaper. So I roast potatoes until they get a little crispy, top them with chunks of soft, white cheese, and ladle on a simple beef-flavored gravy. It’s not poutine, but it’s close.

Recipe

Potatoes

2–3 tennis ball–size yellow potatoes

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher style sea salt

Heat the oven to 450°F. Cut the potatoes in quarters lengthwise, then into slices as thick as French fries. Combine them with the oil and salt in a heavy skillet, toss well so they all get coated, and put the skillet in the hot oven. Stir after 20 minutes and cook for 20 minutes longer or until they’re nicely browned.

Gravy

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup water

1 tablespoon beef flavor Better Than Bullion

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon wine or apple cider vinegar

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium, then stir in the flour. Let the mix bubble for a couple of minutes, then add the water a bit at a time, stirring frequently. Add the beef flavor, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and vinegar. Let cook for a few minutes longer.

Cheese

Use white curds if you want, but I usually get firm mozzarella, the kind you’d grate for pizza, and cut it into thickish blocks roughly the size of curds.

Mound some of the potatoes on a plate, add some cheese, and top with gravy.