Divinity Original Sin 2: Poutine

The voice acting in Divinity Original Sin 2 really surprised me. Everything in the game is voiced – even all the random rats you come across. The narrator of the game is my personal favorite. There are many moments when you’ll walk around exploring and the way he describes things you find will bring a smile to my face. The first time I clicked on a haystack, I bursted out laughing when the narrator said “What did you expect, a needle?” This game did a wonderful job directing its voice acting team and really pulled me into the world of Rivellon. I cannot wait for the Definitive Edition to be released and to experience the overhauled third chapter. It was weaker than the first two and I honestly can’t wait for another excuse to jump back into the game again.

While roaming around the different establishments in Driftwood, I was shocked to see a plate of poutine on the table. I have not been to Canada so I haven’t had authentic poutine but I have had many different variations of it here in the states. Many of the poutines here are very extravagant with a lot of different combinations. This recipe is my interpretation of a simple poutine – gravy, potatoes, and cheese curds. First, my gravy is a brown gravy with a broth that is flavored primarily by oxtails, chicken wings, shiitake mushrooms, and a handful of spices. Typically poutine is served with fried french fries. Based on the in-game image, I decided potato wedges would fit much better than french fries. If you aren’t feeling like preparing your own potato wedges, feel free to replace them with french fries, homemade (I have an old recipe here) or the frozen variety. Finding fresh, squeaky cheese curds is relatively difficult. I managed to find cheese curds at my grocery store but they did not squeak. They were tasty and really tied the dish together. The gravy will make a bit more than you need but it will hold well in the refrigerator for a week to two weeks. Although I mentioned that I never had official Canadian poutine, this recipe comes with a stamp of approval from my friend from Canada.

Ingredients:
Gravy
2 lb beef oxtails
1 lb chicken wings
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
2 shallots, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
4 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
2 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
5 tbsp butter
5 tbsp flour
salt
pepper

Potato Wedges
3 brown potatoes, cut into wedges or thick fries
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Toppings
12 oz of cheese curds
2 green onions, diced

Gravy

Over medium-high heat, heat a dutch oven with 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Add the oxtails and brown all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place each browned oxtail onto a plate. If you need to do this in batches, add additional canola oil per batch.

Once all of the oxtails have been browned, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and brown the chicken wings. Transfer to a plate once browned.

Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and water. Add the oxtail and chicken wings.

Finally add the thyme, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, dried shiitake mushrooms, and whole black peppercorns.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Keep the broth at a simmer, uncovered for at least 3 ½ hours. When the time has passed, taste for flavor to see if the broth has been simmering for long enough. Season with salt.

Once the broth is ready, strain all the pieces out and set the broth aside until you are ready to turn it into gravy.

To prepare the gravy, place a pot over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Once the butter has melted, slowly add the flour while constantly whisking.

After the butter and flour have combined into a roux, slowly add the broth while whisking. It is very important that you do this slowly and to be constantly whisking. This will allow the gravy to become nice and thick.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer until the gravy has thickened. Season with black pepper and salt to your liking.

Potato Wedges

When the broth is one hour away from being done, begin to prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a bowl combine the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, pepper, and salt. Toss the potato wedges in the mixture.

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and nonstick spray. Transfer the season potato wedges onto the sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss and bake for another 15 minutes. Toss once more and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and cook the fries until they are crispy, about 4-5 minutes.

Assembly
In a bowl, place a large portion of fries. Top with the cheese curds and green onion. Finally, add a few scoops of gravy one top of everything and enjoy.