My wife and I took a little mountain vacation to Banff earlier this month, and we thoroughly enjoyed (understatement). We hiked, snowshoed, downhill skied, and even tried touring skiing to make the most of our brief time surrounded by the elevated snowscape. In fact, by the end of our adventure, we had hiked so much that we could barely walk…which is a key measure of success for our vacations.
With all the hiking that we did though, we found ourselves with voracious appetites by the time dinner rolled around. Over the course of our time, we nearly went through the menu at Bill Peyto’s Cafe as well as venturing to a few other spots. In our dining capades, we felt that we needed to take the opportunity to try real Canadian Poutine. Oh, it was magical. We began to think of various plays on Poutine that we could make while on our hikes, and we’ve already made two since arriving home. This recipe was the first of them and had a nice earthy richness to it with a protein to turn it from a side into a main dish.
We served our poutine with Steamed Broccoli.
Time: 75 Minutes (or around 25 if using frozen French fries)
Ingredients:
- Russet Potatoes (1.5-2 per serving) or frozen French fries
- Venison
- Onion
- Cheddar Cheese Curds
- Black Pepper
- 1 cup of Mushroom or Beef Stock
- 1 tablespoon of Butter
- 2 tablespoons of Corn Starch
- Optional: Scallion Onion
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, and line a baking sheet (or baking sheets) with foil. Give the foil a quick oil spray.
- If using fresh potatoes, rinse them, and cut them into strips.
- Arrange your freshly cut fries (or frozen fries) on your foil. If using fresh, spray the tops with oil, and sprinkle some salt on.
- Place your fries in your oven, and bake for about a 35-40 minutes until they turn golden brown and soften. You may need to flip them halfway through cooking.
- As your fries cook, slice your onion.
- Melt some butter in a large pan, and add your onion. Sauté until your onion turns opauqe.
- As your onion cooks, slice your venison thinly, and add it to your pan. Sprinkle in some black pepper, and cook to brown.
- Pour your mushroom (or beef) stock over your venison and onions, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until your fries are nearly ready.
- When your fries are nearly ready to come out of the oven, combine your corn starch with equal parts warm water, and stir to fully combine. Then, pour it into your pan, and mix it with your stock to thicken.
- Scoop your fries into a bowl, and top them with your cheese curds.
- Scoop your venison and onion atop, and spoon in additional gravy for dramatic effect. If using, sprinkle your sliced green onion over your dish.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
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