Make poutine like a Moderne Franco!
Oui, allergy-free and vegan poutine is possible! Enjoy this Québécois classic of crispy fries, gravy, and cheese curds with a twist. So, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy poutine again due to dietary restrictions, check out this recipe!
Wondering how you can make poutine without meat and real cheese curds? You’ll find detailed instructions below the recipe card with a short history of poutine. Beyond that, you’ll find the full explanation behind this poutine recipe.
Let’s start with a bit of history behind this famous comfort food, which didn’t become a staple in Québec until the 1950s and 60s. As my friends at Ma famille canadienne-français point out, poutine was only prepared in the farmland area of Centre-du-Québec during this time. It wasn’t until the 1970s that poutine was brought into the Montreal restaurant scene. From there, poutine spread outside of its home province and throughout Canada.
Many Quebeckers find cultural pride in poutine, and many of us Franco-Americans are trying to make it a symbol of French Canada over here. In the United States, most Americans assume it’s a Canadian staple due to the advertising surrounding it. We’ll hear of “Canadian snacks” and see a maple leaf represented on poutine and not the fleur-de-lys.
New Hampshire PoutineFest has taken the lead in establishing poutine as a Québec delicacy, popularizing the iconic comfort food at its annual festival.
Now, let’s dig into the details of this recipe and how I swapped out the toppings for allergy-free alternatives – and made oven-baked French fries rather than frying them in oil.
To make four servings, I’d suggest using 3 or 4 Russet potatoes for this recipe. Feel free to estimate how many French fries you need depending on how many you chop. I cut them about 1cm wide: not too thick, not too thin.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 205 degrees Celsius. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside. Once you have your potatoes cut into fries, fill a bowl with cold water and place the fries in the water to soak for about 20-30 minutes. The cold water washes off the starch on the potatoes, which will make them crispier in the oven.
I used to skip this step when I would make homemade oven-baked French fries, and I would wonder why they barely had any crunch to them. But, after trying the cold water method, I’ll never go back. It does make a big difference, so trust me: it’s worth it.
After the fries have soaked, drain the water and give them a quick spray down to ensure all that starch is washed off. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them back into the bowl and toss them with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley. For these ingredients, I toss them in rather than measure them all out, so go by your eye and personal taste.
Place the fries on the baking sheet and pop them in the oven with a timer set for 20-30 minutes. Because every oven is slightly different, check up on the fries after 20 minutes and determine whether to leave them in longer if you want crispier fries.
While the fries are baking, you can get started on the “cheeze” curds. The “z” is intentional: it’s the vegan way to spell our “cheesy” creations to differentiate them from real cheese.
Get out your food processor or blender; I have my handy little Ninja blender. When preparing the tofu, cut the package and drain the water. Then, take out the tofu block and lightly squeeze out any remaining water. Place it in a bowl and with a whisk or other kitchen utensil, and mash it up to make it easier to blend.
Add the remaining ingredients for the curds and blend until the mixture is smooth. Then, transfer the mixture into a small saucepan and put it on the stovetop over low heat. It may get lumpy as it heats up, but it’ll smooth out once you start stirring it. So, stir the curd mixture for about 15 minutes or until it’s smooth and stretchy. Then, cover the saucepan, take it off the heat, and set aside until the poutine is ready.
And last but not least, the gravy! Add the 4 ounces of canned mushrooms to a bowl, along with the vegan butter (I used Earth Balance), the coconut aminos (regular or teriyaki flavor), onion powder, and the gluten-free flour (I’m a big fan of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free products). Mix the ingredients, pour the vegetable broth into the bowl, and mix.
Put the mixture into the food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Transfer the gravy to another saucepan and stir on medium heat. Stir the gravy frequently for 15 minutes or until it thickens. The gravy will also thicken upon standing, so if it’s not as thick as you’d like, take it off of heat and cover it. When I uncovered my pot of gravy after 20-30 minutes, it had noticeably thickened up.
Let me add, this gravy with the cheeze curds is so good that I had to try it on a baked potato for lunch. And it was a delicious twist and a quick solution when I had run out of homemade French fries. The cheeze curd recipe also made more than enough for me. I’ve used the cheeze leftovers as mozzarella on gluten-free pasta with fresh sliced tomatoes seasoned with pepper and basil, as well as on my beloved spinach salads.
Now we can get back to the French fries! My timer for the fries went off as I was almost done making the gravy. So, I had to set them aside until I put the gravy on the stovetop. But I didn’t mind taking a break from the gravy to take out these crispy fries!
Keep in mind that the fries will shrink slightly, and the above photo only shows one serving. There were more fries to go around with the two large russet potatoes I used. As stated in the recipe card, 3-4 potatoes will give about four servings of fries.
And now, the best part of this whole process: preparing the poutine. Chop any optional toppings you prefer (I love cutting scallions nice and thick), and then pile those French fries on a plate or bowl. Pour the thickened gravy over those crispy fries and scoop out the cheeze curds with a small spoon. Finish it all off with your toppings of choice, and enjoy this allergy-free poutine without worry!
I enjoyed my first poutine tasting at the New Hampshire PoutineFest Spooktacular in 2021. This recipe is the first time I’ve made poutine, but I call this version a success.
The whole time I was making this recipe, I couldn’t wait to dig into the crisp fries soaked in that savory gravy topped with those thick, globby cheeze curds. And it was all worth it to enjoy it in its gluten-free and vegan goodness, so I hope that others out there with food allergies, sensitives, or special diets will also love it.
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