Sheppard's Poutine

Sheppard's Poutine

I bought a bit of lamb shoulder so it just seemed fitting to make "Sheppard's poutine" opposed to regular poutine, even though my regular poutine is always made with beef gravy with tender chunks of stewed beef on top.

Picked up fresh Gun's Hill cheese curds  and baked up a batch of my favourite oven fries (peel, slice, toss potatoes with oil and salt, lay flat on a baking parchment and bake on convection or convection roast 400-425 degrees F and both sides will roast without having to flip them over)

Of course the cheese and fries are last minute elements, but let's start from the beginning and that's the lamb that was started several hours ahead.

Earlier in the day I pulled out my chunks of lamb shoulder ... 

- 2 lbs lamb shoulder
 (I bought half the shoulder and the butcher cut it into pieces and removed some fat)

- 1 tbsp butter (and drop of oil to prevent burning) 

- Salt & black pepper to taste

Final ingredient:  .....   Fat, lots of fat 

Now start in a small but heavy bottomed saucepan set on high heat.  Divide the meat between the pieces with lots of meat and the fatty/bone pieces. 

Add the butter to the pot and when it's hot brown the meaty pieces well on all sides. Add the rest and keep turning until it's all pretty browned.  Season with salt and black pepper. 

Now for the fat part.  The lamb fat will melt down but I added another 2 tbsp butter as well as enough olive oil to just cover the meat. 

Allow the oil to heat up then reduce the heat to low and simmer for a couple of hours until all the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

---------

Couple of hours later

Remove the meat from the fat with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.  When it's cool enough to handle without burning your hands remove ALL the tender meat from between the fat and off the bones. There is quite a bit, so don't be discouraged, some is even hidden in between the fat.

Set the meat back into the pot of fat until ready to use.

When ready to assemble poutine, which is as follows: A nice bunch of fries in the bowl or plate, topped with yummy cheese curds and a big ladle of hot gravy over top to melt all the cheesy goodness (chicken/meat... turkey gravy.. whatever you prefer) 

 Simply heat up the fat and remove the pieces of lamb meat and serve it on top of the poutine.

Enjoy!

Awesome potatoes!

Love love love this recipe!! These are SO crispy that you'll be heard across the room munchin on these delicious potatoes with their yummy crispy skins.

Here's how it goes:

Boil your baby new potatoes in a nice big pot of salted water, once fork tender, strain and let cool, place in the fridge overnight.

The following day, chop then up in wedges or rings keep the skin on or remove it but it's crispy goodness. Toss with oil, salt/pepper or any seasonings you love and bake at 425 flipping them throughout so all sides are golden. I use convection which just cooks all sides in one shot.

Enjoy with your favorite dip, ketchup or a little vinegar and salt, a fresh herb dressing, cheese sauce or gravy!

For the dip I mixed together extra rich sour cream, a squeeze of lemon juice, some prepared horseradish paste, salt, chopped chives and let that sit in the fridge overnight as well for the flavours to blend.