Sweet Potato Poutine with Maple Adobo Gravy

We love potatoes, we love cheese, and we like to go over the top every once in a while. Enter poutine. This classic French Canadian dish usually combines french fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy. It’s an indulgent combination to say the least. There are a ton of recipes out there for the classic version, so we wanted to mix it up by forming a sweet and spicy “gravy” (really more of a take on a béchemel in this case) that would play well with sweet potatoes.

Yield: about 4 servings

Ingredients

For the sweet potato fries

• 3 medium/large sweet potatoes

• 1 tablespoon sunflower/vegetable/canola oil

• Kosher salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

• Pinch of chili powder (optional)

• Large bowl

• Colander/strainer

• Baking sheet(s) (optionally lined with parchment paper)

For the maple adobo gravy

• 2 tablespoons flour*

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 1/3 cup milk (whole milk recommended)

• 2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipolte peppers in adobo sauce - save the rest of the can contents in the fridge for another use)

• 2 tablespoons quality maple syrup

• Pinch of nutmeg (about 1/8 tsp)

For the poutine

• about 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) fresh cheese curds

Instructions

Make the sweet potato fries

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into fries, having widths between 1/4” and 1/2” and the length of the potato (if they’re super long, feel free to cut them in half). Place the cut fries into the water and pop the bowl back into the fridge for at least about an hour. This step helps to remove some of the extra starch from the sweet potato.

After the fries are done soaking, preheat the oven to 425°F. Lift the fries out of the bowl and into a strainer. Give them a good shake to release any clinging water. Alternatively, transfer the fries into a salad spinner and spin dry. Pat off any residual water with a clean kitchen towel. Give the soaking bowl a quick rinse and dry off. Place the fries back into the dry bowl and drizzle with the oil. Toss to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and optionally, the chili powder. Arrange the fries on the baking sheet in a single layer. If they are too crowded, use two baking sheets. When the potatoes are too close together, they’ll end up steaming and you won’t get the crispy texture that you want.

Cook the fries in the oven for a total of about 35-45 minutes. Check on them periodically for doneness and turn the fries at the halfway point (some sweet potatoes are higher in sugar and will brown quickly). If you’re using two baking sheets, rotate the sheets at the halfway point as well. If the fries look like they are browning way too quickly while still being undercooked inside (you may find this to be the case with a convection setting), you can turn the heat on the oven down to 375°F-400°F for the remainder of the cooking time.

Once you’ve turned the fries at the halfway point, it’s time to start the gravy.

Make the maple adobo gravy

Remove the cheese curds from the fridge to allow them to come up in a temp a bit before use. Measure out the milk and stock to have handy by the stove.

In a small, heavy bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. When the butter is fully melted and beginning to bubble, add the flour. Whisk to combine and continue whisking constantly until the roux turns a light brown color, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the milk and stock to the saucepan and whisk vigorously to combine. Once the mixture appears to have come together, whisk in the adobo sauce, maple syrup, and nutmeg. Continue heating with frequent stirring as the mixture comes up to a simmer. Once at a simmer, turn the heat to low and check the consistency. If you would like the sauce to be a little thicker, continue to simmer over low heat with frequent stirring for a few more minutes. Once it’s where you’d like it on thickness, season with salt and pepper to taste (we recommend a generous amount of black pepper) and remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan and set aside momentarily.

Assemble the poutine

Once your fries are done baking, they should be fairly crisp on the outside and tender in the middle (your level of crispiness may vary depending on oven conditions and how dry the fries were to start...if you want crispier fries, keep them in the oven for a few more minutes - keep in mind though, it’s getting covered in gravy anyway).

Keep the fries warm while you bring the maple adobo gravy back up to a simmer (if it’s not there already) and give it a good mix to reincorporate everything.

Divide the hot fries among four plates and sprinkle about 2 oz. of cheese curds over each plate of fries. Ladle the maple adobo gravy over the top of everything, making sure to hit the cheese curds (you’re aiming to get them a bit melty). Serve immediately.

Notes

*To keep this recipe gluten free, you can easily substitute in 2 tablespoons of quality all-purpose gluten free flour here, or about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.