I’m in Canada this week. Don’t have a lot of time for fun, as my work schedule is really weird. But being in Canada means one thing to me in terms of food: poutine!
For those who haven’t had the fortune of trying this dish, poutine is French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. So simple. So awesome. Seriously, why aren’t we putting gravy on fries as a matter of course?
Not having a car (or data to search bus routes) in Edmonton is pretty sucky. So my best chance at poutine was Harvey’s, a popular Canadian fast food chain. It’s right in Edmonton airport, on the departures level. Interestingly, Harvey’s is sort of like a Subway but with burgers and wraps–they cook the meat, then you decide what goes into it.
I got a buffalo chicken wrap combo (the wrap plus poutine on the side–an upgrade from the usual side options–and a pop, as the Canadians say). My eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I also got a side of fried pickles. I love fried pickles!
Classic poutine from Harvey’s
The wrap was meh. The fried pickles were fantastic: spears of sweet pickles beautifully but not overwhelmingly breaded and then deep fried to crisp perfection. I got honey mustard for dipping, which turned out to be the perfect choice (my other option was ranch). In particular, the sweetness of the pickles made for a nice contrast to the poutine.
So the poutine. It was gooey. Warm. Melty. The curds had mostly melted, sadly, and the fries had gotten a tad mushy in parts. But that was okay. Owing mostly to the cheese, the poutine was also somewhat salty. That was okay too, because the gravy was yum. I just pushed some of the cheese curds to the side and got every last bit of the fries and gravy.
Harvey’s also does a mushroom poutine and a bacon poutine. While I love bacon to bits (hah), I think a bacon poutine would be wayyy too salty for me, but I think I might attempt the mushroom at some point.
This is totally not the healthiest meal ever (the poutine alone was over 700 calories) so can’t overindulge… and yes, find me at the hotel gym later.
Nice job on this one, Canada.
Ate something yummy this week? Share it on Tasty Thursdays!
World and Time Enough 