Poutine is the Camp Food Every 12-Year-Old Dreams Of

The French immersion summer camp I went to between lakes in Minnesota was in most respects a traditional summer camp: We swam and canoed and played sports and did arts and crafts. But everything happened in French—including mealtimes.

Mile End’s Smoked Meat Poutine

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The kitchen staff did heroic things with their mundane groceries: They’d make fresh baguettes, croissants, and chocolat chaud on Sundays—just the kind of simple fare I would encounter a few years later when I traveled to France. The menu often highlighted whichever Francophone culture we were learning about that day; I'm sure Maghreb Night was my first introduction to couscous, and Quebec Night my first poutine.

Classic Ratatouille From Alice Waters

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Pommes Dauphinoise (Potatoes au Gratin)

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The rustic charms of gratin dauphinois and ratatouille were probably lost on many campers, but no 12-year-old could fail to thrill at the sight of a giant dish of french fries. Most of the poutine I've encountered since has been coated with gravy and flecked with cheese curds, but the poutine I remember from camp was the opposite: blanketed in a salty white cheese, melted and crispy at the edges, with chunks of dark turkey meat throughout. Could a fry-based dish really be a legitimate cultural and educational experience? It seemed too good to be true.

The cheesy reverse poutine may not have been authentic, but it was a singularly fun meal and made the best of the materials the kitchen had. Plus, it made Quebec seem like a pretty cool place.

Mile End’s Smoked Meat Poutine

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Ingredients

1	pint thick cut Russet potatoes
4	tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4	cup finely chopped shallot
	Kosher salt
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour
2	cups chicken broth
	Freshly ground black pepper
4	ounces room-temperature cheese curds (having them room temperature helps the cheese to melt)
2	ounces warm chopped up smoked meat, such as pastrami

1	pint thick cut Russet potatoes
4	tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4	cup finely chopped shallot
	Kosher salt
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour

2	cups chicken broth
	Freshly ground black pepper
4	ounces room-temperature cheese curds (having them room temperature helps the cheese to melt)
2	ounces warm chopped up smoked meat, such as pastrami