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Poutinef o r fo u rPoutine isn’t an everyday meal, but it’sa favorite. Since I don’t like deep-fryingat home, I bake the fries; they still getcrispy without the fuss of frying.Montreal-style poutine is made withvegetable gravy, as in this recipe, butyou can also make your favorite beef orturkey gravy.Set the oven to 400 °F.Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil onto a baking sheet.Spread the oil around, then spread out the sticks ofsliced potato. Pour the rest of the oil over the top andsprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Use yourhands to ensure the potatoes are coated with oil, salt,and pepper, and evenly spread across the pan. Placethem in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Melt the butter in asaucepan on medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic.Let them cook for 2 minutes until translucent, but notbrown. Add the flour and quickly stir with a spoon.Add a little broth if gets too clumpy.$7 t o t a l$1.75 / s e r v i n gb66i t e s66Of course, proper poutine uses cheesecurds, and if you can find them do usethose, but fresh mozzarella works forme. It has the same spongy quality,just maybe with a little less squeak.This recipe does comes out a littlemore expensive than you would thinkbecause of the fresh mozzarella. If youuse less or skip the cheese entirely, youcan cut the price in half.2-3 medium Russet potatoes, sliced into sticks2 tbsp vegetable oilsalt and pepperscallions, chopped6 oz fresh mozzarella, dicedg r a v y2 tbsp butter1 shallot or 3 scallions, finely chopped3 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 tbsp all-purpose flour1½ cups vegetable broth1 tsp soy sauce½ tsp cayenne peppersalt and pepper6 leaves fresh sage, finely chopped (optional)Let the mixture cook until it turns light brown. Add thevegetable broth, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper. Bringthe gravy to a boil, then turn down the heat and let itcook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste it,adding salt and pepper as needed. Turn down the heat tovery low, just enough to keep the gravy warm until thefries come out of the oven.Dice the mozzarella.After the fries have baked for 20 minutes, remove themfrom the oven. Lift them with a spatula and test theirtenderness with a fork. If it goes through easily, the friesare ready. If you want them a little more crispy, flipthem over and put them back in the over for a few moreminutes.Once they’re done, pile one layer of fries onto a plate.Top with cheese and then the hot gravy. Repeat with asecond layer before sprinkling with scallions and morefreshly ground black pepper.b67i t e s67