Most people have heard of Poutine. It is practically the national dish of Canada and they are known for making well. It consists of french fries, topped with gravy and bits of cheese curds.
On our way up to Portland we visited Tillamook where they have a pretty famous cheese factory that makes the eponymous Tillamook cheese. While there I bought some of their cheddar cheese curds, which they only sell in their factory store. You can get cheese curds elsewhere, but they must be fresh. You know they are fresh if when you bite into one it squeaks against your teeth.
Last night, because it has been cold and snowy here we wanted something warm, comforting that would stick to the ribs. We created a concoction which I will call Portland Poutine. I started with some french fries. We like the Ore Ida Fast Food fries, which are extra crispy, and I highly recommend. While those were baking. I made some Sloppy Joe mix; browned hamburger, a can of tomato paste, water and a seasoning packet (we like McCormick’s.) We were intending on having conventional Sloppy Joes on a bun with fries, but Laura suggested that she did not want a bun but instead wanted the Sloppy Joe stuff put on top of her french fries. As we had the package of cheese curds still unused, we decided to top the whole mess with some of the cheese curds. It was really good. The combination of hot french fries and hot Sloppy Joe mixture melts the curds into a nice gooey glob. Served it with a side salad and all was good.
Now you are hitting all my childhood favorites in one meal- french fries, cheese, sloppy joes!!!! YUM YUM YUM! You can’t get a better stick to the ribs kind of dinner! Thanks for sharing.