Sweet Potato Poutine

A healthy, savory, gluten free, and surprisingly vegetarian version of a Canadian favorite.

One of Noah’s and my favorite indulgences is any variety of the delicious poutines served at Euclid Hall in Downtown Denver. Poutine is a traditional Canadian dish of french fries, beef gravy and cheese. We love the variations on poutine made at Euclid Hall but due to the not so healthy nature of traditional poutine not fitting into my current attempts at healthy eating we don’t enjoy it often.

So, I decided to create my own variation of poutine that I could happily eat and not feel guilty about after! On this go around (yes there will be more to follow) I wanted to aim at a vegetarian version similar to the traditional Canadian style.

I used a mushroom base to add a meaty texture and savory flavor. I also used buckwheat flower to keep it gluten free. You can also easily make this dish vegan by using a vegan butter substitute and a cheese substitute such as daiya.  Oh and I’ll admit, I was lazy and used the frozen Alexia sweet potato fries… I just love how evenly cut they are.  Base how many fries you make on the gravy to fry ratio you prefer. Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy ingredients, most things are common kitchen cabinet finds.

The Poutine Innards:

• 2-3 Sweet Potatoes, cut into fries
  (or enough pre-cut frozen sweet potato fries for 3-4 people)
• 2 TBSP Buckwheat Flour
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Brown Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 tsp Better than Bouillon Vegetable
• 1 TBSP dried Savory
• 3-4 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
• S+P
• 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Goat Gouda, shredded

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 3-4

How to Make the Poutine:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place the sweet potato fries in for 25 minutes while you make the gravy.

2. In a food processor mince together your mushrooms, onions and garlic.

3. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet on medium heat and place your mushroom mixture in, cooking about 7 minutes until the onions and mushrooms are soft and fragrant.

4. Meanwhile, make a roux by placing your butter and flour in a saucepan, whisking until it bubbles slightly.

5. Whisk in your vegetable broth in small portions at a time.

6. Whisk in the bouillon, savory, salt and pepper, and mushroom mix to your gravy and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

7. Add as much nutritional yeast to make your gravy as thick as you prefer.

8. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, cover them with the gravy and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Devour with a fork

Bon Appétit!