Poutine Galvaude

Ingredients

8 cups baking potatoes
vegetable oil for frying
6 x chicken legs
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1/2 cup flour
6 x breakfast sausages
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
8 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup frozen green peas
2 cups white cheese curd.

Directions

For the Poutine Galvaude
1.Note - you may substitute shredded mild cheese of choice, but the curds are really where it's at.
2.Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch long sticks (or your preferred fry size).
3.Cover the fries with water, rinsing once to remove any surface starch, then cover again and soak for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
4.Preheat oven to 400° F. Put flour and salt and pepper into a plastic bag, shake to combine, then add chicken legs and shake to cover evenly.
5.Put the legs into a roasting pan large enough to hold them in a single layer and tuck the breakfast sausages into any exposed places so they touch the bottom of the pan, if possible.
6.Roast the chicken legs and sausages in the 400º F oven until cooked through, about 45 minutes.
7.Remove the roasting pan from the oven and set the sausages and legs aside to cool completely. Either discard the sausages or enjoy a little nosh at this point.
8.Pour off about half of the drippings from the roasting pan, then put the roasting pan on the stove and turn up the heat to medium high.
9.As they begin to sizzle, sprinkle the drippings and browned sticky bits on the bottom of the pan with 4 tablespoons flour and mix up with a wooden spoon.
10.Make sure you scrape up the tasty stuff on the bottom. You want to create a fairly loose paste, a roux.
11.Splash a little of the hot chicken stock onto the roux and stir like crazy, incorporating more stock as you go until completely mixed. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and keep stirring until the gravy thickens. Add a little salt and pepper if it needs it, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
12.Strain the gravy into a clean saucepan. Remove the meat from the chicken legs and add to the gravy. You can do all this the night before you plan to serve, just refrigerate the gravy and chicken once it's cooled.
13.NOTE: To get crispy homemade fries, you blanch them first by frying at a lower temperature (about 325º F) until cooked through (remove one, let cool, bite-test), let them cool, then fry a second time at a higher temperature to crisp and brown the outside.
14.Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy bottomed Dutch Oven (the big pot in most sets) to 325 degrees. Use a candy thermometer to check the heat.

15.Drain the fries and pat them as dry as possible with a clean dishtowel. I like to use a salad spinner first.
16.Using a steel basket or a "spider", gently lower about a 2 cups of the fries into the hot oil. The temperature will drop somewhat. Watch the level of the oil carefully as it rises. When the raging oil has subsided, give the fries a little gentle agitation to ensure they remain separate. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through but not coloured. Drain on paper towels, let the oil return to 325º F , and continue working in batches until all the fries are blanched and at room temperature.
17.Heat the chicken and gravy.
18.Either steam or microwave the peas for 4 minutes or until tender and hot. Drain.
19.Bring the oil in the pot up to 375 degrees. Again, gently lower the blanched potatoes into the hot oil and fry, agitating gently, until they are deep golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender within. About 2 to 3 minutes each batch.
20.Drain the fries on paper towels, season with salt.
21.Divide the hot fries, the cheese curd, chicken and peas on plates, top with a little extra gravy. Serve piping hot.