Sweet Potato Poutine with Bacon and Caramelized Onions

Last weekend seemed a little incomplete without a Packer game and its requisite Packer snack. This Sunday I'll be watching the game with some family and a Thanksgiving spread I'm preparing, but if you're watching the game sans feast, I can think of nothing better to recommend that this over-the-top poutine. If I'm given the option between potatoes and sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes win out virtually every time. And although they're not the traditional choice for poutine, they bring all the crispiness of regular fries, but with an added sweetness and depth of flavor that plays perfectly off of the salty cheese curds and smoky bacon. If that isn't already enough, caramelized onions add an extra layer of flavor that infuses eat bite with pure savoriness. The crispy fry and bacon bookends perfectly contain the squeaky, spongy curds and tender caramelized onions for a delightful variety of textures in each bite. An unabashedly decadent dish, this is a soul-satisfying treat nobody can resist and the perfect companion to an afternoon of football.

Sweet Potato Poutine with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
gravy recipe adapted from The Food Network
serves 2

1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces frozen sweet potato fries
4 slices bacon (about 3 ounces)
1 small onion, sliced
4 ounces fresh cheese curds, at room temperature or slightly warm

1. Make the gravy: Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and beef stock, ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and make a roux, stirring until slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the stock mixture into the roux and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. While the gravy is simmering bake the fries according to package directions. Shortly before the fries are ready to come out of the oven, strain the gravy.

4. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons bacon grease in the pan. Once bacon is cool, crumble into small pieces. Add onions to hot bacon grease and cook over medium-low heat until onions are soft and caramelized, about 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Split fries between two plates, topping each with half of the onions, cheese curds and bacon. Pour the hot gravy over the top and serve promptly.

Breakfast Poutine

I'm still on my poutine kick for Packer snacks. An over-the-top, decadent food that I'll eagerly try any time I see it on a menu, since I first made it myself at home I can't stop tinkering with the recipe. So far I've shared a classic poutine recipe and Reuben variation, but if you want to indulge in poutine for breakfast or brunch, this is really the recipe for you. We all know the cliche that bacon makes everything better, and quite often the same case can be made for a fried egg, its addition taking this poutine even further into the indulgent category. This is an unabashedly decadent meal - crisp and smoky bacon, salty and squeaky cheese curds, starchy and hearty potatoes, rich and runny egg, all happily co-mingling until a silky blanket of gravy. To complete your brunch or football-watching experience, pair this with a breakfast stout, hard cider, or other boozy brunch beverage your of choice (although I don't think mimosas quite work with this heavy-duty dish) and enjoy some quality time with friends or family. Go Pack Go!

Breakfast Poutine
gravy recipe adapted from The Food Network
serves 2

1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces frozen french fries
4 slices bacon (about 3 ounces)
2 large eggs
4 ounces fresh cheese curds, at room temperature or slightly warm

1. Make the gravy: Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and beef stock, ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and make a roux, stirring until slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the stock mixture into the roux and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. While the gravy is simmering bake the fries according to package directions. Shortly before the fries are ready to come out of the oven, strain the gravy.

4. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a pan over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, leaving about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan. When cool, crumble into medium pieces.

5. Crack the eggs into the hot pan containing the bacon grease, frying until whites are set and yolk is warm, but runny, flipping halfway through, or to desired level of doneness.  (If you're unsure as to how to cook over-easy eggs, check out Alton Brown's expert instructions here).

6. Split french fries between two plates, topping each with half of the cheese curds and bacon, and one egg. Pour the hot gravy over the top and serve promptly.

Classic Poutine

Football season is here! And in my house, Packer games means Packer snacks (and now that I'm old enough, appropriate Wisconsin craft beer pairings). Packer games became a Sunday tradition with my dad when I was just a little girl, and although I've graduated from crying when the Packers lose, I still honor the football and snacking ritual I learned in my formative years. I wanted to start off this year with a bang (although apparently the Packers did not), so I decided to try my hand at poutine, one of my favorite indulgences. Although it is a French-Canadian dish in origin, poutine has Wisconsin written all over it. How a dish that features fresh cheese curds took so long to make its way to at least moderate renown in Wisconsin is beyond me, but I'm very glad it has. (The Coopers Tavern is my favorite place for poutine. I had to really resist the urge to dress it up right out the gate (my mind is filled a thousand ideas), but I thought it best to start with a basic recipe. In its easiest form, this could be made with store-bought gravy, curds, and fries, or in its most culinary permutation with homemade versions of all those things, but I struck a happy medium with high-quality frozen fries, fresh cheese curds from the farmers' market, and a homemade gravy based on a recipe from (a Canadian chef on) the Food Network. Springy and squeaky fresh curds are miles ahead of shredded cheese as a fry topping, the perfect contrast to crisp fries, all united under a blanket of silky gravy. This plate of pure savoriness wasn't quite enough to make up for the poor Packer performance, but sure did bring a smile to my face as I took my first bite the instant the kicker's foot hit the ball at kickoff (another tradition of mine). Though its roots lie in French-Canadian cuisine, this dish is more than at home in Wisconsin and the perfect snack for your next Packer party.

Classic Poutine
adapted from The Food Network
serves 2

1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

12 ounces frozen french fries
4 ounces fresh cheese curds, at room temperature

1. Make the gravy: Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and beef stock, ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and make a roux, stirring until slightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the stock mixture into the roux and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, bake the fries according to package directions. Shortly before the fries are ready to come out of the oven, strain the gravy.

4. Divide the fries evenly between two shallow dishes; top with the cheese curds and gravy. Serve warm.