SMOKY POUTINE

SERVES 4

If we had a restaurant, this hearty, messy, filling dish would be on the bar menu. The name poutine alone makes us want to stick our faces in a plate of cheese fries with mushroom gravy. A little smoked paprika in the mix makes our heads swirl. Wash down the fries with a crisp pilsner or, if you’re into that sort of thing, a hipster AF local IPA.

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed

2 tablespoons mild-tasting oil

1 cup Mushroom Gravy Train (here)

1 cup Wicked Healthy Cheese Sauce (here)

½ cup (4 ounces) chive or plain plant-based cream cheese, such as from Kite Hill

½ teaspoon flake salt, such as Jacobsen’s

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Cut the spuds lengthwise into wedges about ¼ inch thick. Leave the peels on so they get nice and crispy in the oven. Toss the wedges onto a baking sheet and rub all over with a little oil. Roast until the potatoes are soft in the middle and crispy brown all over, 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm up the sauces. Serve the spuds on a platter drizzled with the gravy and sauce and dolloped with plenty of cream cheese. Mix together the salt and paprika and flick it over the poutine.

Pro Tip

If you want this dish ready to rock at a moment’s notice, make the gravy and sauce up to a day or two ahead and pre-bake the potatoes at 350ºF until tender inside, 30 minutes or so. Let them cool on the baking sheet, then chill in the fridge. When it’s snack time, bake the spuds as directed until browned (it should take only 15 to 20 minutes since they’re pre-cooked). Heat up the gravy and sauce and put it all together.

OPTION

To get more wicked, top the poutine with sliced red chiles, cilantro leaves, and green onions.