Canadian Turkey Poutine
The ultimate Christmas or Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.
Ingredients
For the Turkey
- 2 – 3 cups leftover turkey, shredded
- 1-½ cups leftover dressing or stuffing
- 1-½ cups cheese curds, see notes for substitutions
- ¾ cup cranberry sauce, room temperature
- French fries
- 1 liter canola oil, or more depending on the size of your fryer
- 2 cups leftover turkey gravy
For the French Fries:
- 6 large russet potatoes
- Kosher salt for seasoning
Instructions
To prepare the French fries:
- The best, most crispy fries are always cooked in two stages at 2 different temperatures.
- Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into fries.
- The size of the fries is up to you but shoestring size, about ¼-inch square always maximizes the crispy flavour.
- Hold the fries at room temperature in bowl of lukewarm water until ready to fry.
- Lay them out on layers of paper towels and pat dry with additional paper towels immediately before frying.
- Add the canola oil to the deep fryer and bring it to 350°F.
- Fry the potato sticks until just beginning to crisp but not brown; about 6 to 8 minutes for shoestring fries.
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
- These fries will likely go limp as they cool; this is perfectly normal; they will re-crisp in the second fry.
- Turn off the deep fryer until ready to fry again.
- When you are ready to serve the fries, bring the oil up to 375°F in the deep fryer.
- Fry for an additional 6 to 8 minutes or until the fries begin to turn a light golden brown and become quite crispy.
- Remove from oil and toss with a pinch of kosher salt to season.
To prepare and serve the turkey poutine:
- First of all, use real cheese curds if you can find them; hey should also be at room temperature for best results.
- The turkey and stuffing should be heated in the microwave; wrapping them in plastic keeps moisture in while reheating.
- It is essential to have boiling hot gravy for this dish, so be sure to have that simmering on the stove and at the ready.
- Hot French fries are also essential so that the combined heat of all of the ingredients will help the cheese crds to melt.
- Start by placing the french fries in the bottom of 4 serving bowls, followed by a layer of stuffing and shredded turkey.
- Add the cheese curds on top and pour the gravy slowly over the cheese curds to get them starting to melt.
- Serve with a dollop of cranberry sauce on the side.
Notes
Fresh cheese curds are best for this recipe but are not always easy to find. Fresh mozzarella cubes make an acceptable substitution in a pinch. Be sure that the mozzarella cubes are at room temperature before the gravy is poured on.
