Ingredient selection for Canadian Poutine dish Poutine is a simple dish from Québec, Canada. It is traditionally made with French fries, topped with fresh mild white cheddar curds (quite unlike American white cheddar which is quite sharp) and with a tangy and salty brown gravy poured on top of it all. It looks something like this:



It's easy to make when you like up in Québec, as the gravy can be purchased in any grocery store. But I live in the USA now, and there is no such thing as poutine gravy here. For the cheese I use Monterey Jack cheese, which is close enough. I've tried to whip up my own gravy multiple times, but it's never been quite right. Here is how I usually go about it:


Start with chicken stock.
Thicken with flour or starch.
Add some pepper, salt (if needed, usually it's pretty salty already).
Add something for tang, like a bit of barbecue sauce or ketchup.
Maybe throw in a few spices, like garlic or onion powder.


I was just wondering if anyone has ideas to make this more palatable, e.g., other ingredients, or any cooking suggestion.
Hello @Phrancis and welcome to Seasoned Advice! Poutine gravy is a beef gravy made with beef or veal stock. Here is a link to a  recipe . There are many other recipes online, as well.

You can buy the prepared sauce online  here  or a gravy mix on  Amazon .

By the way, you were on the right track, just not quite there yet! :)