Gluten Free: Poutine

It doesn’t matter if you’re falling out a nightclub at 3am before staggering across town to find the bus home or you’re leaving the pub in time to catch the last train, there’s one thing you’ll want to eat. Chips. You might be an advocate of chips and cheese, a fan of chips and gravy or a lesser-known chips and pakora sauce person, but at the end of a night out (or a night in) there’s only one thing that satisfies your carb cravings.

Poutine is Canada’s answer to chips and cheese and gravy. Crunchy, melty, carby and salty, there is no hamgover that can’t be soothed by a helping of Poutine. This dish single-handedly makes up for the fact that Canada also gave us Justin Beiber. I might have gained some Canadian cousins through marriage, but I can’t claim any kind of authenticity for my recipe. The original version uses cheese curds which just aren't readily available in the UK.

I’m using homemade chips here, I don’t think chip pans and alcohol are a great mix. Of course, you could just use frozen oven chips - there are plenty of gluten free ones available. It depends on where along the hungry/sleepy scale you are.

Poutine (serves 4)
You’ll need:

• 350g potatoes
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• salt and pepper
• 25g butter (or dripping)
• 25g tapioca flour (or white rice flour)
• 500ml beef stock.
• 200g mozzarella, chopped into small cubes or torn up

Make it!

1. If you want to, peel the potatoes. It’s entirely up to you. Then, cut the potatoes into chips. 
2. Cover the chips in cold water and leave in the fridge for a few hours. This removes some of the starch from the potato and gives you a crispier chip.
3. Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
4. Drain the potatoes and rinse. Give them a shake in a colander to remove the excess water.
5. Toss the chips in a bowl with the oil. Add salt and pepper and lay them out on a baking tray. Cook for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
6. Meanwhile heat the butter and tapioca flour in a saucepan, stirring all the time, for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth paste. 
7. Add the stock, a little at a time, stirring until the mixture is lump-free, until all the stock is incorporated. Use a whisk if the lumps are being stubborn.
8. Now, spread the chips over your plate and scatter the mozzarella over them. Pour gravy on top and serve.