About
“Food is our common ground…”Michael Smith might as well have been talking about poutine — Canada’s great equalizer, a late-night truth-serum of a dish that tells you everything you need to know about the country that created it.
Poutine didn’t come out of a fancy kitchen. It wasn’t engineered by chefs in pristine whites. It was born in rural Quebec in the late 1950s — cold roads, hard jobs, places where people eat to actually live and not just post a picture. Someone threw fresh fries, squeaky cheese curds, and hot gravy together, and the thing stuck. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did. Maybe all great dishes start that way.
The formula is brutally simple: hand-cut fries, still steaming; cheese curds that squeak between your teeth; gravy hot enough to half-melt everything into a glorious, salty mess. It’s the kind of dish that doesn’t apologize for anything. It’s heavy, it’s indulgent, it’s comfort food in its purest, most unpretentious form.
From those small Quebec snack bars, poutine spread across Canada like folklore. Diners, pubs, late-night joints — anywhere people needed something warm and greasy to quiet the world down for a minute. Then came the variations: bacon, pulled pork, smoked meat, fancy gravies, foie gras if you want to get ridiculous. But the real thing? It’s still the holy trinity of fries, cheese, and gravy.
And now poutine has crossed borders. You’ll find it in the U.S., Europe, Asia — places where people don’t even know what a Canadian winter feels like, but somehow understand the need for this dish anyway.
Poutine is Canada’s gift to the world: messy, satisfying, democratic. A plate of pure comfort that doesn’t need explanation — just a fork, maybe two, if you’re being polite.
Samp is meant to be simple and nourishing. Its texture can be adjusted easily: add more water for a looser porridge or simmer longer for a thicker, almost pudding-like consistency. It is one of the closest dishes you can make today to the foods shared at the earliest recorded harvest gatherings in New England.
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. Let's explore international cuisine together!
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INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for a complete poutine:
4 cups freshly fried French fries (homemade or store-bought), but you better make your own!
2 cups cheese curds, preferably fresh
2 cups beef or chicken gravy, hot
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
garnishes like bacon, pastrami and chicken are common
Ingredients for poutine gravy:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef or chicken broth, homemade is preferable
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
A cheesy, greasy, filling dish of Quebecois origin.
Click here for video recipe and story on Instagram
Instructions for gravy:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted, add in shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the flour to the saucepan, stirring continuously to form a smooth paste. Cook the mixture for about 2-3 minutes, or until it turns a light golden color.
Slowly pour the beef or chicken broth into the saucepan, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
Add the Worcestershire sauce to the gravy and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste, adjusting the seasoning according to your preference.
Instructions for preparing the poutine:
Prepare the French fries according to your preferred method, ensuring they are crispy and golden brown.
While the French fries are still hot, place them in a large serving dish or individual plates.
Sprinkle the cheese curds evenly over the hot French fries, allowing the curds to slightly melt.
Pour the hot gravy over the fries and cheese curds, ensuring that all the ingredients are well coated.
Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper over the top for added flavor and add on any toppings you'd like.
