Fry Baby Fry!

I love French fries. It’s hard to go a week without them. Heck, I love any kind of friend potato, especially if it’s served with ketchup and mayonnaise. (Yes mayonnaise. Good stuff.) I remember being thrilled to be around Belgium because I knew of the country’s fascination with the fried potato. Oh yum. And this fry recipe is so good. Poutine is just wonderful. I used to eat it all the time as a child while visiting my grandparents in Northern Maine. They lived on the Canadian border and Poutine was and still is a staple. I ordered it every time we went out to eat. McDonald’s even sold it there for a while. Anyway, here’s a wonderful recipe. You can sub stock for the demi-glace but you’ll have to reduce it a bit more. I’ll list substitutions at the end but this is such a yummy recipe.

FRENCH FRIES WITH GRAVY AND CHEESE
Poutine
Eaten with great gusto all over Quebec, poutine was once just a late-night diner staple. It is now served at some of the province's finest restaurants.
4 large russet (baking) potatoes
8 cups vegetable oil
3 tablespoons minced shallot
2 (3-inch) sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup beef or veal demi-glace*
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 oz cheese curds or haloumi cheese, coarsely crumbled (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
Peel potatoes, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks and submerge in a bowl of ice and cold water. Rinse potatoes in several changes of cold water until water is clear. Drain in a colander, then spread potatoes in 1 layer on several layers of paper towels and pat very dry. Heat about 8 cups vegetable oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.
Cook shallot with thyme in butter in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until shallot is softened and golden, about 2 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes, then discard thyme sprigs. While wine reduces, stir together water and cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir 1 cup beef or veal demi-glace into wine and bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and return to a boil, then boil until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in black pepper, salt, and unsalted butter until butter is melted.
Once oil is ready, increase heat to moderate and fry potatoes in 4 batches, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, returning oil to 375°F between batches. Transfer fries with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet lined with several layers of dry paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. Keep fries warm in oven while frying remaining batches.
Put 4 ovenproof plates in oven, divide fries among plates, and sprinkle with cheese. Heat until cheese is just warmed through, about 2 minutes.Stir chives into sauce and drizzle over fries. Serve immediately.
Cooks' note:Sauce, without chives, can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered.
*A rich BROWN SAUCE that begins with a basic espagnole sauce, which is combined with beef stock and MADEIRA or SHERRY and slowly cooked until it's reduced by half to a thick glaze that coats a spoon. This intense flavor is used as a base for many other sauces. Known in France as espagnole sauce, brown sauce is used as a base for dozens of other sauces. It's traditionally made of a rich meat stock, a MIREPOIX of browned vegetables, a brown ROUX, herbs and sometimes tomato paste. Demi-glace can be bought at most specialty food stores, though veal demi-glace is harder to come by. It’s wonderful though and worth making or using at least once. I’m getting my chef friend to let me in on his secrets.
Makes 4 side-dish or snack servings.
GourmetMarch 2006
Ok, if you really don’t feel like making your own gravy, use one of those instant packets. Beef gravy is important for the right flavor. Doctor it up with pepper, shallots and wine. (Use half wine half water.) Gravy packets usually have enough sodium so extra salt isn’t needed. For a beefier flavor, use stock instead of water.
If you can’t find cheese curds, that’s ok. Mozzarella works in a pinch as does string cheese. But the curds are the best.