This recipe is brought to you in partnership with the American Lamb Board. I am proud to serve delicious American Lamb to my family, supporting American shepherds and their families in sustaining working farmland and farm communities.

What’s better than sharing a plate of crispy fries with a special friend, partner or relative? Fries covered with melted cheddar cheese curds and a delicious savory American lamb gravy! I’ve been thinking about the Canadian classic for months now, wondering how I could recreate it at home for a special date night dinner. Before moving to America I had never heard of this dish, but increasingly started to notice it on social media and cooking shows. What is poutine? According to Wikipedia, Poutine is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec, Canada, in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims of having invented the dish.

Though any brown gravy is acceptable, I do prefer the taste of American lamb and had some shanks in the freezer which I thought would make the perfect brown gravy. Lamb shanks come in both foreshanks and hind shanks. Lamb shanks practically melt off the bone when they are slow cooked, and are perfect for dishes like lamb stock which is needed to make the gravy in this recipe. You want this bone-in cut of lamb to extract maximum flavor when making the stock, so check availability with your local butcher or supermarket beforehand. Check out AmericanLamb.com for useful guides, including this one on how to buy and store American lamb. I’m not sure that it’s traditional to have meat in a poutine, but the tender lamb shank meat in this recipe gets pulled off the bone and added back into the gravy for a heartier meal. How can you go wrong with this moreish combination?

Did you know February is Lamb Lover’s Month? To celebrate, the American Lamb Board is hosting a fun giveaway on both their Facebook and Instagram page. Tag a friend and comment on the giveaway posts to be entered to win great prizes! There are quality cast iron dutch ovens and wool blankets up for grabs. Find more information on the American Lamb website or click the image below to visit the first giveaway post!

Tips before you start:

Though I also make my own fries for this recipe, the goal isn’t to spend a lot of time in the kitchen if you’re not able to. It is definitely easier to purchase your favorite frozen fries and bake or air fry them right before serving. A little truffle salt elevates the fries whether you choose to make your own or go the short route - I made both last week and it was amazing.

The gravy can be made ahead of time and portioned out into four servings, then frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Take it out and defrost overnight, then heat it up over low heat when you’re ready for your next poutine fix! This is meal prep that I can get behind!

A cheese curd is a young cheddar that hasn’t been aged or put into a wheel when the curds are separated from the whey during the cheesemaking process. Fresh curds melt easily but are hard to find here unless you have a special connection with your cheesemonger here, or you live in Canada. The curds sold in stores do not melt as easily as fresh curds from Quebec when pouring hot gravy onto them, so in my opinion, fresh mozzarella (or fresh feta) is also a good alternative. Tear a ball into pieces and place it around the hot fries before ladling the lamb gravy over.

Poutine with Savory Lamb Gravy
4 Servings | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes

For the gravy:
2 American Lamb shanks (about 1 and a half pounds)
1 cup sliced leeks (white parts only)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrot
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon porcini mushroom seasoning
1 ½ cups sliced portobello mushrooms
4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable or chicken stock
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1-2 each fresh sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme
1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to brighten things up
½ cup fresh cheddar cheese curds or torn fresh mozzarella cheese
Salt, black pepper and fresh thyme to taste

For the fries if making your own:
2 medium russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (I highly recommend truffle salt)
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, brown lamb shanks for 5 minutes per side. Add leeks, celery, carrot, garlic, salt, bay leaf and seasoning then cook for 5 minutes stirring once or twice. Add mushrooms, stock and worcestershire sauce and herbs then place a lid on and simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the lamb is very tender. If the liquid evaporates too much during cooking, top it up with some stock or water.

Remove lamb shanks from the pot, pull all meat from the bone and set aside. Strain the broth (will make a lighter gravy that you’ll need to season to taste), OR remove the bay leaf, then puree everything using an immersion blender for a richer broth that’s like a stew. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water, whisk into the pot and stir until thickened. Add the pulled lamb back into the gravy, add apple cider vinegar and season to taste. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Cut the potatoes into fries and soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Strain and drain on a clean kitchen towel, patting dry. Add fries to a bowl or sheet pan and toss with olive oil and salt then air fry for 15-20 minutes at 375F depending on thickness.

To bake: Preheat your oven to 375F and spread the fries evenly in a single layer on the sheet pan. Cook for 20 minutes, turn the heat to 425F and continue baking until crisp (about 10-20 minutes). The time will depend on the thickness of your fries, so watch it halfway through and test for doneness.

To assemble: Place fries on a plate, add cheese curds and spoon a few ladles of lamb gravy over. Finish with fresh herbs and pepper. Serve immediately.