Carotene Poutine ♥ Healthier Snacks with Cabot Cheese Recipe Challenge #AD

Poutine:

A Quebec (or French-Canadian) staple, a dish of homemade french fries topped with white cheddar cheese curds and beef gravy. Generally served in a Styrofoam container or carton and it is the hottest thing to come off a food truck.

I took liberties and made poutine portable, requiring no utensils. A perfect snack watching TV, like say the Super Bowl or Oscars.

These couldn't be any easier to make because you will have to make a ton, trust me.

Cabot Creamery challenged Recipe ReDux members to create healthier and balanced snacks. From finger foods to hearty apps, lighten up your favorite “big game” or red carpet eats for entertaining.
Cabot Creamery is a family-farmer owned cooperative of more than 1200 farms located throughout New England and New York. One-hundred (100) percent of Cabot’s profits go back to their farmers. - Cheddar cheese is a protein-rich snack and naturally lactose free.

"I received free samples of Cabot Cheese mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe challenge sponsored by Cabot Creamery and am eligible to win prizes. I was not additionally compensated for my time."

I am extremely happy with the final presentation. This is something I will be making many times over, even after football season ends.

A combination of sweet potatoes, chicken sausage and fat-free gravy make this healthier without sacrificing any of the flavors that have made this the No.1 dish in Canada.

Why not be the first on your block to introduce your friends to the next big craze in snack form, even though it feels too lowbrow to be a French favorite.

Once I cracked the code on plugging the holes to keep the gravy from dripping, the rest was food nirvana. Extremely easy to make, you can keep extra sheet pans of the waffle chips in a warming oven until you need to restock the table and the only cooking involved was to saute the chicken sausage and gravy.

The cheese can be chopped into crumbles in the processor using the grind or pulse button (around 10 pulses). I cut very cold cheese into small cubes and then toss them in flour. It stops the cheese from sticking together and you get big (bottom pic) and little pebbles (top pic).

The smaller ones are the plaster that plugs up the holes in the waffle chips. It also doesn't hurt that it makes them cheesier. The larger crumbs are our curds. These are the one that get sprinkled when the waffle chips are out of the oven. These need to stick to the chips without melting.

You should have twice as many small ones as large, so allow about 5 ounces for small crumbs and 3 ounces of large. It's funny how each time I chopped a batch, the ratio was perfect. No need to go crazy. I used a basic stand up strainer who's holes were just large enough to hold in the larger crumbs and drop the smaller ones into a bowl.

A primer coat of small pebbles will fit in the waffle holes so the gravy doesn't drip through.

I suggest serving the chips on one big platter with small bowls for the sausage and gravy, this way the waffles stay crisps and the guests get to participate in the assembly.
I think this preparation might just give our Southern brother's biscuits and sausage gravy a run for the money.

After taking these pictures, this was my lunch. Totally transportable, I packed another for The Nudge to take to work. The final verdict was: waffle chips reheated well in a toaster oven and the sausage gravy went into a microwave. The Nudge was the talk of the break room. He loves when he's the star of the show.

You can use your favorite Italian Chicken or Turkey Sausage but I can safely recommend Alexia Sweet Potato Waffles. They bake without any extra fat and they are all about the same size, so no waste.

Let's get cooking.....

Carotene Poutine
makes 36 waffle chips - about 6-8 servings

* 8 ounces Cabot Sharp White Cheddar, divided
* 1 bag frozen sweet potato waffle fries
* 1 package (5-6) Italian Chicken Sausages, casings removed
* 1 packet gravy mix, your favorite (I used turkey)
* chopped chives or green onions, optional

1. Preheat the oven as per manufacturer's instructions
2. Put the sausage meat in a non-stick skillet, breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
3. Chop the cheese using the pulse or grind button on a food processor.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and immediately sprinkle the small pebbles over the chips, encouraging them to settle in the grooves and holes. Put them back into the oven for no more than 2 minutes, or until the cheese is totally melted but not bubbling. Remove, cool for a few seconds and loosen the chips from the pan. Sprinkle with another round of large crumbles (about 3-4 each chip)  and arrange them on a platter.
5. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are baking, saute the meat until all the pink is no longer visible, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or masher. When the meat is cooked, add 1 cup of water and the gravy mix. Stir until the gravy thickens and remove to a chafing dish, a small slow cooker or a heavy ceramic bowl with a lid (can microwave as needed ).

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