Roast Potato Poutine with Hakka-ish

Let's admit it, chili crisp poutine is something you need in your life. Make your own at home (and even avoid messing with a big pot of oil!)

Serves 2

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1lb of baby potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2.5 tbsp cooking oil
• 375ml beef stock
• 100g cheese curds
• 3-4 tbsp Hakka-ish Chili Crisp

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 420f. Cut the potatoes in half, season with salt and half a tbsp of cooking oil and toss. Place cut side down on a lined baking tray and place in the oven until cooked through and browned on the bottom, 20-25 minutes. 
2. While the potatoes cook, make your gravy. Heat a pot over medium heat, and add the flour and remaining cooking oil. Cook this while stirring constantly. You want to make a dark roux, around 5-10 minutes, depending on your pan. You want to aim for the colour of peanut butter. This will provide a beautiful nutty flavour to your gravy. When this is cooked, add the beef stock, around 3-4 tbsp at a time, stirring until no lumps remain, a whisk will really help here. 
3. When the stock is all incorporated, bring to a boil, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. If the gravy is too thick for your liking, add some liquid, if its too thin, cook for a few more minutes. Cover, and set aside. 
4. When your potatoes are done, place them on a sharing dish, or in individual bowls. Sprinkle the cheese curds over. Bring your gravy back to a boil, and pour it over to melt those gooey, squeaky cheese curds. Finally, spoon over some Hakka-ish. It’s done, it’s delicious, it’s definitely not healthy, but it’s slightly healthier than using fries, and that’s enough for us. 

Notes: Prefer chicken gravy on your poutine? Use chicken stock. Don’t even make fresh gravy if you don’t want to, just use the canned or powdered stuff if you’re feeling lazy. 

Make it vegan?: There are plenty of vegan gravies and stock powders on the market that taste great. Just swap a vegan Mozzarella substitute in for the cheese curds. Still delicious. Still unhealthy, but definitely still delicious.