Chourico Poutine! Air Fryer Fries topped with cooked bite size pieces of Portuguese Chourico Sausages, Cheese and Pimento Poutine Sauce. This is a Portuguese Inspired dish.
Those Portuguese Chourico Sausages are just magnificent, and with this dish we get big chunks of fried up Sausages scattered throughout the Poutine. With it first being fried in the pan to render some of that fat out and create a fond which will be picked up by the Poutine Sauce adding even more flavor.
Poutine Fries
Use either Store bought Fries or make Homemade French Fries. Store bought can be Deep Fried or Air Fried. Homemade is best for deep frying. Really up to you. If you choose to Air Fry them, use melted Lard for the Fat or a Neutral Oil.
After figuring out how to Air Fry French Fries the best possible way, this is the only way I make up Fries now. Although if time permits I really enjoy the Homemade Fries or if I am already deep frying something, I will also do the Fries. Either way you do it, cook up the Fries until Golden & Crispy.
Deep Fryer Fries
Deep Fry either Homemade or Store bought Fries at 400 F until Golden & Crisp.
Air Fryer Fries
Air Fry store bought Thick Cut Fries tossed in 1/4 C of Oil at 400 F for 30 minutes. At 15 minutes of cook time remaining, empty the Fries & Oil into a steel bowl to toss the Fries around and place back into the Air Fryer. Repeat every few minutes until golden and crisp.
Portuguese Chourico Sausages
These are just unbelievably good and used in so many dishes to impart that unique flavor. It’s important to pick up a good quality one with chunks of marbled Pork and that Red Paste throughout. I used to get mine at Unboxed Market located in Toronto in little Portugal. I did a review based on these Portuguese Sausages. Now I make these Homemade Portuguese Chourico Sausages.
Homemade Chourico
Chourico Sausages
Tear the Sausage into chunks and fry in a Skillet for a bit to render some fat out and create a fond over medium low heat. Then remove and add the Poutine Sauce to pick the fond up and incorporate those flavors into the Poutine Sauce.
Chourico Poutine with Onions & Peppers
Add some sliced Onion & Peppers. Cook them up in the skillet along with the chunks of Sausages to top the Poutine off. Either diced or sliced into thin strips. Onions & Peppers go extremely well with Sausages.
Poutine Cheese
Poutine is traditionally served with Cheese Curds. Although very common in the Maritimes is the use of shredded Cheese for Homemade Poutines. I use a High Moisture Mozzarella Cheese mixed at a 3:1 ratio with shredded Provolone Cheese. Mozzarella or White Cheddar can also be torn into small chunks and added to the Poutine.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I would be curious to use some Portuguese Cheese. Whatever Cheese you use, make sure you take it out to rest at room temp for better melting and place on top of the Fries and ladle that Pimento Poutine Sauce over it.
St Albert Cheese Curds
These are the Best Cheese Curds. Sold in 200 g portions, which is enough for 2 Poutines.
Take them out to rest and reach room temp before topping the Fries.
Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese
A blend of 3 Cups of shredded High Moisture Mozzarella Cheese and 1 Cup of shredded Provolone Cheese.
Place into a Ziploc bag and toss around to mix and use on the Poutine. Freeze the remaining cheese.
Pimento Poutine Sauce
The Pimento Poutine Sauce is based on the basic Portuguese Marinade combined with Broth and thickened to create a Poutine Gravy that just brings everything together.
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix. Once the Fries are just about ready, mix again before you pour into the pan after cooking the Chourico Sausages and removing them optionally with Onions & Peppers. Bring this to a boil, reduce the heat to low and keep it hot before pouring over the Poutine.
Pimento Poutine Sauce
- 3 Cups Water
- 1/4 C Sweet Pimento Paste
- 4 Tbl Potato Starch
- 2 Chicken Bouillon Cube
- 1 Tbl Smoked Paprika & Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Onion & Garlic Powder
- 1/8 tsp Ground Bay Leaves
- Salt & White Pepper to taste
Adjusting the Heat
Adjust the heat by using Sweet or Hot Pimento Paste and/or Mild or Hot Chourico Sausage. Add additional heat through Hot Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Piri Piri Pepper, Black or White Pepper, Chili Flakes, Hot Chiles added in. Drizzle over the Poutine Sriracha or other Hot Sauces.
Be careful though with all the combination of heat sources especially with the Pimento Paste and Chourico Sausage, this can get really spicy.
Mild Chourico Poutine
Use Sweet Pimento Paste with Sweet or Mild Chourico Sausages for a Chourico Poutine with the lowest amount of heat.
Sweet Pimento Paste
Additional heat can be added in through Hot Paprika, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper or Red Chili Flakes.
Spicy Chourico Poutine
Use Hot Pimento Paste to add some heat to the Poutine. This can further be made spicier with the use of Hot Chourico Sausage. But now you’re talking about a really spicy Chourico Poutine.
How to Make Chourico Poutine
To prepare, tear one Portuguese Chourico Sausage into bite size pieces and combine all the ingredients for the Pimento Poutine Sauce into a bowl to set aside.
Have your Cheese ready by placing it into a bowl and sitting at room temp. If using Cheese Curds, make sure you set them out to come to room temp by the time everything is ready.
Air Fryer Fries
Place into a stainless steel bowl, Fat, Fries & Salt, toss well.
Air Fry at 400 F for 30 minutes. At 15 minutes, empty the Oil and Fries back into the Steel Bowl and toss. Then empty back into the Air Fryer. Repeat this every few minutes until crisp to your liking.
Chourico Sausage
Place the Chourico Sausage into a Pan over medium low heat and cook to render the fat out and create a fond.
Optionally cook with Onions & Peppers. Remove the Chourico Sausage and pour in the Pimento Poutine Sauce and mix while bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low to keep it hot.
Plate the Fries
Plate the French Fries once they are done.
Chourico Sausage
Place a handful of Chourico Sausages on top.
Cheese
Place a handful of Cheese on top.
Cheese Curds, torn white cheddar cheese or a mozzarella blend 3:1 of Mozzarella & Provolone Cheese can be used.
Poutine Sauce
Ladle the Hot Pimento Poutine Sauce over the top. Optionally, Garnish with Parsley.
You can also drizzle some Sriracha or other Hot Sauce over top.
If you want the cheese more melted, cover the poutine as soon as you ladle the gravy over to trap heat in and soften the cheese.
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Stainless Steel Bowl for the air fryer fries
- 1 Bowl for the Pimento Poutine Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Link Portuguese Chourico Sausage
- 1 lbs. Fries - Thick Cut
- 1/4 C Neutral Oil - or melted lard
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- As Desired Cheese - Curds, Shredded Cheese Blend, torn White Cheddar Cheese
Poutine Gravy
- 3 C Water
- 1/4 C Sweet Pimento Paste
- 2 Cubes Maggi Chicken Bouillon
- 4 Tbl Cornstarch
- 1 Tbl Lemon Juice & Smoked Paprika - each
- 1 tsp Onion & Garlic Powder - each
- 1/8 tsp Ground Bay Leaves - or 1 – 2 Bay leaves
- To Taste Salt & White Pepper
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the Poutine Sauce into a Bowl and set aside until needed.
- Place 1 lb. of Fries into a Steel Bowl with 1/4 C of Fat & 1/2 tsp of Sea Salt. Toss well and Air Fry at 400 F for 30 minutes. Let it cook for 15 minutes before you empty the Fries along with the Hot Oil into a Steel Bowl to toss and empty back into the Air Fryer Basket to cook more. Repeat this every few minutes until Crisp to your liking.
- In a Saucepan over medium low heat, add the chopped or torn Chourico Sausages to cook for about 5 – 10 minutes. Optionally with Onions & Peppers. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Empty the Bowl of Poutine Sauce into the Saucepan you just cooked the Sausages in and bring to a bowl while mixing. As soon as it starts to boil, drop the heat to low to keep the Sauce Hot.
- Plate the Fries with Chourico Sausage on top and Sprinkle the Cheese. Ladle Hot Poutine Sauce over the Fries and serve. Optionally drizzle some sriracha sauce or other hot sauce on top and garnish with Parsley.