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I have finally CONVERTED my wife. You ask, converted to what? To a lover of tater tots. My wife loves fries and I love both. One does not find tater tots on menus very often though we do see it more often. Whenever, I see them on a menu, I always want to order them and I was truly ordering these for myself. My wife never understood why I liked them so much. Now she has had these Tater Tot Poutine and has done a 180° turn.
Tater Tot Poutine
One of the keys to this recipe is the stout gravy. The typical poutine includes cheese, generally cheese curds, and gravy. This gravy is AMPED up by the adding to stout to it. This gravy would taste good on a shoe. I liked the stout gravy so much I have already used it on a number of recipes since I made this poutine recipe. And I only made this recipe a few weeks ago. I used both cheese curds and shredded mozzarella in this poutine recipe. This is a very rich recipe.
So I wondered what the origin of Poutine is. I knew it was Canadian but that is about all. The story goes that a customer at Lutin Qui Rit, operated by Fernand LaChance, had a take out customer request to add cheese curd to his french fry order. The customer saw the cheese curds on the counter and thought the mixture would be a good idea. The restaurateur said this would be messy but he served them. The adding of the gravy came later. The rest is history. If you are Canadian, you have been enjoying poutine since your were a kid. If you have not tried them with tater tots, you need to give them a try. You will really enjoy this spin.
The Stout Gravy ingredients.
Stout Gravy Ingredients
The veggie and spices sautéing with the butter, and then, the roux added.
Veggies & Spices in Pot
Flour Added
First the stock is added to form the gravy, then the Stout for more flavor.
Stock Added
Stout Added
The gravy is sifted through a strainer to finish (We ate the carrots – they were awesome).
Gravy Strained
The Tater Tot Poutine plated.
Tater Tot Poutine
- 1 - 16 ounce bag of tater tots
- 8 ounces cheese curds
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 1/4 cups chopped onions
- 3/4 cup chopped carrot
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups no-salt-added beef broth
- 3/4 cup stout or other strong dark beer
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground pepper*
- Melt butter in a large non-reactive saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onions and carrot; sauté until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.
- Gradually add broth, 2/3 cup at a time, cooking and stirring constantly until smooth.
- Stir in stout, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf.
- Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about
- 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Strain mixture through a sieve into a pot.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bake the tater tots according to bag instructions.
- Place the tater tots in a baking dish in layers. Add portions of each cheese as you add the tater tot layers.
- Put back in the oven and bake for 5 - 7 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Serve by topping with gravy.
- Enjoy!
I LOVE poutine and this tater tot version is too too fun!!! Certainly a must try!
Two too toos. I think that is good.
I didn’t know this recipe but it looks delish!
A very upper midwest thing here in the States.
I love poutine and this is a fantastic twist. Definitely need to give this a try. Thanks for sharing, PINNED!!
Thx for sharing it Eric.
Hope I am as successful as you converting my Oh to tater tots.
My wife is the winner!
I must have that stout gravy asap. And look for cheese curds 🙂
It is so good. Let me know if you try to make it.
Looks wonderful! Comfort dish at its best!
Absolutely Florian.
I’ve enjoyed poutine fries many times since moving to Canada, but never had it with Tater Tots. Your gravy sounds divine!
I would be fascinated to know if you could even find it in Canada?
I’m on a mission to find the right poutine gravy, so I just may have to give this one a try. The addition of stout is definitely something that appeals to me.
Cool James. Let me know if you do? You will not be disappointed.
My first time eating Poutine was in Shanghai China. Sounds crazy but there’s a great deli that serves them and they’re delicious. Throw that gravy on tater tots and I’m sold. But how do I find cheese curds in china? That’s what I need to figure out. Are they just called cheese curds?
Wow. Truly amazing. Food is so universal. yes they are called cheese curds. They originated in Wisconsin I believe.
What a great treat! perfect for a Saturday night here!! 🙂
Totally agree. Feels like a night out sitting at a bar having a good beer.
Pure comfort, absolutely love this!
That says it all Matt.
I love your tater tots and step-by-step pictures, Peter! Such a tasty and comforting treat!
Thank you very much Tania.
Oh my goodness my husband would LOVE THIS! I might have to make this for our anniversary haha. He would be over the moon! I wonder if I can do itiiwth a mushroom type broth to keep it vegetarian?
I would certainly think so. The strong flavor is from the vegetable saute and the stout beer.
This is so smart! I never make poutine, but with tater tots, you’ve just made it more accessible.
Thank you very much Lisa.
OMG how you make comfort food look even more comforting!!! I am just staring at this poutine imagining it’s all mine!!
It can be. just follow the recipe. thx.
i have recently fallen in love with Poutine…. I have never had a Tater Tot version. OH MY!! Your Tater Tot Poutine looks AMAZING!!! I am drooling over it right now.
Thx Katie.
Oh wow, this is like the ultimate tater tot recipe. I wish I had local access to cheese curds here. One of these days I’ll have to pay the crazy shipping fees and order it online. I must try!
I am fortunate that my regular grocery store has a great cheese section and carries curds.