Hey, this is Alex, Amber gave me the *nod* to take over this recipe post. I’ll be making Poutine to honor the Stanley Cup Finals. A big fan of hockey, I grew up playing and still coach today. I wanted to make a dish that reminds me of hockey trips to Canada as a kid. After a trip to Vancouver last year coaching a group of 16 year olds, watching them discover and enjoy Poutine, I decided it was something I needed to veganize. Our version is made with crispy baked fries, GF beef-less gravy, and melty squeeky cheeze curds. We're calling it 'Lord Stanley's Vegan Poutine' to honor the man who started it all. Authentic Canadian Poutine, the vegan way.

We love using Teese for this recipe because it crumbles into curds, reminiscent of the white cheddar curds on the original version. Plus, its better on pizza than Daiya (our opinion only), and melts and stretches like the real thing. Sprinkled over the warm gravy, the salty cheeze gets just a little melty and perfect for scooping up with fries, just like it should be.

Warm-Ups (Ingredients):
Baked Fries:
2 lbs. Russet potatoes, washed and cut into fries
coconut oil (for greasing the pan & coating fries)

Poutine Gravy:
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup vegan butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup gluten-free flour
5-6 cups vegetable or not-beef broth
pepper, to taste
parsley, as garnish

Cheeze:
1 cup vegan cheese (We used Teese Mozzarella)
**Traditionally you would used cheddar cheese curds here. A good sharp cheddar nut cheese might be great, too!


Game Time (Directions):
1st Period: Baked Fries
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Slice potatoes into your desired fry shape and put into a bowl of water. It’s said you should do this for an hour or more, but I did it for about 15 minutes and was happy with the outcome. Lay your fries out on a lightly oiled baking sheet and let bake for 40-50 minutes. Keep an eye on them and pull them out every 10-15 minutes to give them a turn.

2nd Period: Gravy
In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch. Set aside for later.
In a large saucepan, melt vegan butter over medium heat. Once melted, add your GF flour stirring regularly for 5 minutes or so. You want your mixture to be just browning, but keep an eye on it because some GF flours are a dark brown to begin with. Throw in your garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds.
Add broth to the saucepan and combine using a whisk. Bring to a boil and add your cornstarch and water mixture. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens, stirring with your whisk regularly. Add pepper and additional salt, if necessary, to taste. 

3rd Period: Put It All Together 
Throw your fries in a large bowl. Salt fries to taste while still warm. Add a ladle of hot gravy to the bowl and toss the fries using tongs. Add more gravy and toss until a majority of fries are covered.
Add your choice of cheeze to the hot fry/gravy mixture and toss again. Top with freshly cracked pepper and a sprinkle of parsley, serve immediately. **Stick Taps**