The Ultimate Allergy-Friendly Poutine
From the West Coast to Chicago, New York and Las Vegas, Quebec-invented poutine is super popular. While there are many variations of the French-fried potatoes with gravy and cheese curds dish, our poutine is unique. It’s allergy-friendly, with no dairy or gluten. Plus, this poutine is vegetable-based. Photo: Andrew Grinton
Makes: 4 servings
Free of: gluten and all top allergens
Ingredients
Gravy
- 4 tbsp dairy-free, soy-free margarine, such as Earth Balance buttery sticks
- 1 cup yellow onions, finely diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (see Recipe Tips)
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/4 quarts allergy-friendly vegetable, chicken or beef broth (see Recipe Tips)
- 1 each bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 5 black peppercorns
- 4 cups finely diced mushrooms, uncooked (see Recipe Tips)
French Fries
- 4 lbs Russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp salt
Cheeze Curds
- 7 oz mozzarella, or cheddar-style block, such as Daiya, crumbled (see Recipe Tips)
Recipe Tips
Garbanzo bean flour is also known as chickpea flour, besan, or gram flour.
We used vegetable broth, but chicken or beef broth work here as well, for more typical Quebec poutine.
You can use cremini, button, or any mushrooms you wish.
If your family can eat cheese curds, they can be substituted for the dairy-free cheese alternative.
If you have a deep-fat fryer, you can make French fries according to manufacturer's instructions.
Instructions
- For gravy, in a medium saucepan, melt dairy-free, soy-free margarine over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often.
- When vegetables begin to brown, add garbanzo bean flour and tomato paste. Stir to create a roux, or thickening agent. (As a roux cooks, its flavor becomes more complex.)
- Gradually add 1 cup of broth and whisk to make a smooth paste. Add remaining stock, whisking until incorporated. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, skimming gravy surface as needed. Add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Simmer about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, and skimming as needed.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain into another saucepan, gently pressing vegetables to extract juices. Discard sieve contents. Set gravy aside.
- In another saucepan, add mushrooms and sauté 8-10 minutes. Add a teaspoon of water at start of cooking to prevent mushrooms from sticking to pan. Once cooked, pour gravy in with mushrooms and heat through. Set aside.
- For French fries, preheat oven to 425° F. Cut peeled potatoes into lengths of about 1/4-inch wide by 4 inches long. Place in a large bowl and cover with cold water; soak 30 minutes. Drain potatoes, rinse with cold water and place on a towel, drying as best you can. Dry bowl and return potatoes to it.
- Toss potatoes with oil and salt. Arrange fries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil coated with cooking spray (or dairy-free margarine).
- Bake about 35 minutes, until fries are crisp and golden, flipping once or twice after 15 minutes of cooking.
- To assemble, heat up gravy and divide fries among 4 plates. Ladle a heaping half cup of warm gravy over each plate. Sprinkle each plate with crumbled “cheeze.”
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