Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Stroganoff Poutine
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
30 minutes
45 minutes
1 hour 15 minutes
Serves:
4 servings
Anya created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 22. Asked to put a personal spin on poutine, she replaced the gravy outright with a stroganoff of chanterelle mushrooms, herbs and sour cream — a swap that works because both dishes are already built on sauce poured over fried potato. The chanterelles run...
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Ingredients
FOR THE FRIES: Russet potatoes — 2 lb / 900 g, large and floury Neutral frying oil — 2 qt / 2 L, peanut, sunflower or canola Fine sea salt — to taste
FOR THE CHANTERELLE STROGANOFF SAUCE: Unsalted butter — 3 tbsp / 45 g Neutral oil — 1 tbsp / 15 ml Fresh chanterelles — 10 oz / 280 g, brushed clean and torn, not sliced Shallot — 1 medium / 40 g, finely diced Garlic — 2 cloves, minced Vodka — 1/4 cup / 60 ml; brandy is equally traditional Beef stock — 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml; mushroom stock for a meat-free version Dijon mustard — 1 tbsp / 15 g Cornstarch — 1 tsp / 3 g, optional, for a slurry if the sauce runs thin Sour cream (smetana) — 1/2 cup / 120 ml, full fat, at room temperature Cracked black pepper — to taste, generous
TO ASSEMBLE AND FINISH: Cheese curds — 6 oz / 170 g, straight from the fridge Fresh dill — 2 tbsp / 6 g, chopped Flat-leaf parsley — 2 tbsp / 6 g, chopped Chives or tarragon — 1 tbsp / 3 g, chopped Sour cream — 2 tbsp / 30 ml, loosened with a splash of water Lemon — 1/2, zest and a squeeze of juice
EQUIPMENT: Heavy Dutch oven or deep fryer with basket, plus a probe or frying thermometer Spider or slotted spoon Wire rack set over a sheet tray Large heavy sauté pan, stainless or cast iron Fine-mesh sieve and a small bowl for tempering the sour cream Sharp knife and board, plus a soft brush for the chanterelles
Method
STEP 1: CUT AND SOAK THE POTATOES
Cut the russet potatoes into batons roughly 3/8 in / 1 cm square, skin on or off as you prefer. Rinse under cold water until it runs clear, then soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes to draw off surface starch.
STEP 2: DRY THE POTATOES
Drain and dry the batons completely — spread them on a towel and blot. Wet potatoes will not crisp, and they will spit in the oil.
STEP 3: FIRST FRY
Heat the neutral frying oil to 300°F / 150°C. Fry the batons in two or three batches for 5–6 minutes, until pale, floppy and cooked through but not coloured. Lift them to a wire rack with a spider and let them cool for at least 15 minutes. This first fry can be done several hours ahead.
STEP 4: CLEAN AND TEAR THE CHANTERELLES
Brush the chanterelles clean with a soft brush and tear the larger ones lengthwise into halves or quarters, leaving small ones whole. Do not rinse them — they absorb water and then stew in the pan instead of browning.
STEP 5: BROWN THE CHANTERELLES
Set a large heavy sauté pan over high heat with 1 tbsp of the unsalted butter and the neutral oil. Add the chanterelles in a single uncrowded layer and leave them undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring. Cook 5–7 minutes, until they have released their water, taken good colour, and squeak against the pan. Season lightly and set half aside for garnish.
STEP 6: SOFTEN THE SHALLOT AND GARLIC
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter, the shallot and the garlic, and cook 2–3 minutes until soft and fragrant but not coloured.
STEP 7: DEGLAZE WITH VODKA
Pour in the vodka and let it bubble down to almost nothing, scraping the fond from the base of the pan as you go — that fond carries most of the sauce's depth.
STEP 8: BUILD AND REDUCE THE SAUCE
Add the beef stock and the Dijon mustard. Simmer briskly for 8–10 minutes, until reduced by about a third and lightly coating a spoon. If it is still thin, whisk the cornstarch into a spoonful of cold water, stir it in, and simmer one minute more. Under-reduce rather than over-reduce: the sauce has to be loose enough to run down into the fries.
STEP 9: TEMPER THE SOUR CREAM
Take the pan off the heat and let it stop bubbling. Stir a ladleful of the hot sauce into the room-temperature sour cream in a small bowl, then return the loosened mixture to the pan and stir until smooth. Do not let it boil again — sour cream splits above a simmer.
STEP 10: SEASON AND HOLD
Stir in half the dill and half the parsley. Season hard with salt and cracked black pepper, then taste. It should be savoury, faintly sharp from the mustard, and unmistakably of mushroom. Keep warm off direct heat while you finish the fries.
STEP 11: SECOND FRY
Raise the oil to 375°F / 190°C. Fry the cooled batons again in batches for 2–3 minutes, until deep gold and audibly crisp. Drain briefly on the rack and salt immediately with fine sea salt.
STEP 12: LAYER FRIES AND CURDS
Pile the hot fries into warmed bowls. Scatter the cold cheese curds over them while the fries are still fiercely hot, so the curds soften at the edges without collapsing into a pool.
STEP 13: SAUCE AND GARNISH
Ladle the stroganoff over the top straight away. Scatter the reserved chanterelles, then the remaining dill and parsley and the chives or tarragon.
STEP 14: FINISH AND SERVE
Finish with a thin drizzle of the loosened sour cream, a little lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, and more cracked black pepper. Serve at once — assembled poutine has a working life of about four minutes.
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Instructions
FOR THE FRIES:
Russet potatoes — 2 lb / 900 g, large and floury
Neutral frying oil — 2 qt / 2 L, peanut, sunflower or canola
Fine sea salt — to taste
FOR THE CHANTERELLE STROGANOFF SAUCE:
Unsalted butter — 3 tbsp / 45 g
Neutral oil — 1 tbsp / 15 ml
Fresh chanterelles — 10 oz / 280 g, brushed clean and torn, not sliced
Shallot — 1 medium / 40 g, finely diced
Garlic — 2 cloves, minced
Vodka — 1/4 cup / 60 ml; brandy is equally traditional
Beef stock — 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml; mushroom stock for a meat-free version
Dijon mustard — 1 tbsp / 15 g
Cornstarch — 1 tsp / 3 g, optional, for a slurry if the sauce runs thin
Sour cream (smetana) — 1/2 cup / 120 ml, full fat, at room temperature
Cracked black pepper — to taste, generous
TO ASSEMBLE AND FINISH:
Cheese curds — 6 oz / 170 g, straight from the fridge
Fresh dill — 2 tbsp / 6 g, chopped
Flat-leaf parsley — 2 tbsp / 6 g, chopped
Chives or tarragon — 1 tbsp / 3 g, chopped
Sour cream — 2 tbsp / 30 ml, loosened with a splash of water
Lemon — 1/2, zest and a squeeze of juice
EQUIPMENT:
Heavy Dutch oven or deep fryer with basket, plus a probe or frying thermometer
Spider or slotted spoon
Wire rack set over a sheet tray
Large heavy sauté pan, stainless or cast iron
Fine-mesh sieve and a small bowl for tempering the sour cream
Sharp knife and board, plus a soft brush for the chanterelles
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: CUT AND SOAK THE POTATOES
Cut the russet potatoes into batons roughly 3/8 in / 1 cm square, skin on or off as you prefer. Rinse under cold water until it runs clear, then soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes to draw off surface starch.
STEP 2: DRY THE POTATOES
Drain and dry the batons completely — spread them on a towel and blot. Wet potatoes will not crisp, and they will spit in the oil.
STEP 3: FIRST FRY
Heat the neutral frying oil to 300°F / 150°C. Fry the batons in two or three batches for 5–6 minutes, until pale, floppy and cooked through but not coloured. Lift them to a wire rack with a spider and let them cool for at least 15 minutes. This first fry can be done several hours ahead.
STEP 4: CLEAN AND TEAR THE CHANTERELLES
Brush the chanterelles clean with a soft brush and tear the larger ones lengthwise into halves or quarters, leaving small ones whole. Do not rinse them — they absorb water and then stew in the pan instead of browning.
STEP 5: BROWN THE CHANTERELLES
Set a large heavy sauté pan over high heat with 1 tbsp of the unsalted butter and the neutral oil. Add the chanterelles in a single uncrowded layer and leave them undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring. Cook 5–7 minutes, until they have released their water, taken good colour, and squeak against the pan. Season lightly and set half aside for garnish.
STEP 6: SOFTEN THE SHALLOT AND GARLIC
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter, the shallot and the garlic, and cook 2–3 minutes until soft and fragrant but not coloured.
STEP 7: DEGLAZE WITH VODKA
Pour in the vodka and let it bubble down to almost nothing, scraping the fond from the base of the pan as you go — that fond carries most of the sauce's depth.
STEP 8: BUILD AND REDUCE THE SAUCE
Add the beef stock and the Dijon mustard. Simmer briskly for 8–10 minutes, until reduced by about a third and lightly coating a spoon. If it is still thin, whisk the cornstarch into a spoonful of cold water, stir it in, and simmer one minute more. Under-reduce rather than over-reduce: the sauce has to be loose enough to run down into the fries.
STEP 9: TEMPER THE SOUR CREAM
Take the pan off the heat and let it stop bubbling. Stir a ladleful of the hot sauce into the room-temperature sour cream in a small bowl, then return the loosened mixture to the pan and stir until smooth. Do not let it boil again — sour cream splits above a simmer.
STEP 10: SEASON AND HOLD
Stir in half the dill and half the parsley. Season hard with salt and cracked black pepper, then taste. It should be savoury, faintly sharp from the mustard, and unmistakably of mushroom. Keep warm off direct heat while you finish the fries.
STEP 11: SECOND FRY
Raise the oil to 375°F / 190°C. Fry the cooled batons again in batches for 2–3 minutes, until deep gold and audibly crisp. Drain briefly on the rack and salt immediately with fine sea salt.
STEP 12: LAYER FRIES AND CURDS
Pile the hot fries into warmed bowls. Scatter the cold cheese curds over them while the fries are still fiercely hot, so the curds soften at the edges without collapsing into a pool.
STEP 13: SAUCE AND GARNISH
Ladle the stroganoff over the top straight away. Scatter the reserved chanterelles, then the remaining dill and parsley and the chives or tarragon.
STEP 14: FINISH AND SERVE
Finish with a thin drizzle of the loosened sour cream, a little lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, and more cracked black pepper. Serve at once — assembled poutine has a working life of about four minutes.
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