Dad! Dad! They have POUTINE!

 

Actual poutine from a restaurant in Canada



"Dad! Dad! They have poutine!" I heard my boys yelling as I walked out of McKays in Knoxville this afternoon!

What! I couldn't believe my ears. "Could they really have poutine? Really, really, have poutine?" I thought with excitement. I was almost as giddy as the kids. I didn't think it could be possible to have poutine in middle Tennessee but there, right in front of me, was authentic, Canadian, poutine!

Poutine is one of our favorite foods!

So, what is poutine - pronounced poo-ten? Poutine is a Canadian dish originating in Quebec that consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and light brown gravy.

Sound yucky? Believe me, the Tinkel family doesn't think so! And neither do Canadians! It is all over Canada. They serve it at roadside stands, they have poutine carts at the Toronto Zoo, they even have it at McDonalds in Canada.

In fact, in Canada, there are whole restaurants that specialize in different types of poutine. Poutine with different types of curds. Poutine with different types of fries. Poutine with different types of sauces and gravy. Poutine topped with chicken. Poutine topped with pork. It goes on and on. The love of Poutine is so great in the country of our friends to the north that last summer we even found poutine flavored potato chips.

 

So where was it that we found this delicious dish in Knoxville? It was in a truck called "The Poutine Mobile" parked outside of McKays used book store. Here's a link to their webpage - http://poutinemobile.com. This place is the real deal! It is owned by Canadians whose mission, according to their webpage, is to "bring authentic poutine to Tennessee."

We are sure glad that they did. Of course we had to have poutine and soft drinks for everyone, including Grandma who had never had it before. We chose the authentic, regular poutine but they had a lot of different varieties. It made our day and gave us a taste of our second home - Canada.

If you happen to live close to or are visiting Knoxville, you can visit the Poutine Mobile webpage to find the location of their truck and the kinds of poutine that they are serving that day. It would really be worth it to hunt them down. They even have a catering service if you are interested.



If you don't have the pleasure of living close to Knoxville or, of course, in Canada, you can always make poutine at home. You can find a variety of recipes on the internet but below is our simple and quick recipe. Not necessarily the healthiest, but boy is it a good substitute for the real thing.

 

The Tinkel's Easy Poutine Recipe

(Not as good as the real thing but a great substitute)

 

Ingredient:

One bag of frozen French fries
Mozzarella (or any type) shredded cheese
(Cheese curds are better if you can find them)

Two packs of brown gravy mix

 

Directions:

Follow the directions on the bag of frozen fries and stick in the oven. While the fries are in the oven, follow the directions on the gravy mix and make the gravy. When the fries are done, serve them on plates, liberally sprinkle the fries with lots of cheese, then pour gravy over the top.

 

 

Told you it was easy! Try poutine for lunch one day and tell the kids you're serving an authentic Canadian meal. It will probably end up being one of their favorites as well. Let me know how you like it. Happy Eating!