Oven-fry poutine with lean beef gravy
42 min · 50 g protein · 635 cals / serving
Canada's late-night classic as a proper dinner: crisp oven fries under squeaky cheese curds and a rich, peppery beef gravy loaded with lean ground beef, mushrooms and peas, so every forkful has meat in it. No deep fryer, no butter roux, and the curds still melt where the hot gravy hits them.
Ingredients
Oven fries
- 3 medium (1 3/4 lb) potato, russets, scrubbed, not peeled, in 8 mm (1/3-inch) fries
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, divided
Oven fries
- 3/4 tsp salt
Beef gravy
- 1 1/3 lb ground beef (95% lean)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 14 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups beef stock
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/3 cups cooked frozen green peas
- 3/4 cup cheese curds, at room temperature, large ones torn
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped (optional)
Steps
- Heat the oven to 450°F with two baking sheets inside; cut the fries while it heats. Rinse them, dry them very well in a clean towel and toss with the oil, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and the salt. Line the hot sheets with baking paper, spread the fries in one layer and bake 25–28 minutes, turning once and swapping the sheets halfway, until crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile brown the beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, 5 minutes. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook 6–7 minutes until the mushrooms are dry and browned.
- Stir in the tomato paste for 30 seconds, then the stock, Worcestershire, thyme and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water, stir it in and bubble 2 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Add the peas and simmer 3 minutes more. The beef must be cooked through (160°F). Keep the gravy very hot.
- Pile the fries on plates or one big platter, scatter over the curds and ladle about two-thirds of the hot gravy on top so the curds start to melt. Pass the rest of the gravy at the table, finish with chives and eat at once.
Good to know
No cheese curds?
Torn fresh mozzarella or chunks of mild white cheddar melt in the same soft way. Grated cheese just disappears into the gravy.
Can I make the gravy ahead?
Yes, it keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat it until bubbling before you pour, and bake the fries fresh.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 116
- Protein
- (32%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (29%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (39%)
- 12 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 182 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2541 kcal goes into the pot and 2973 g of ingredients comes out as about 2190 g of food: 116 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.