I was attempting to develop a variation on poutine that I'm calling "Poutine Amélioré".
Here they are out-of-the-oven, baked and cheesed. I packed them in Tupperware and brought them to the office party the next day, where I will finished them off:
cut gelatinized chicken reduction into small cubes and placed one in each potato cube.
fired up a blow torch (OK, a small culinary blow torch, but a blow torch nonetheless) and melted the reduction while warming the potato/cheese.
This is a delicious looking hors d'oeuvre. I would very proud to present such a thing, even to my own belle-mère. It looks succulent, hearty, and beautifully executed.
What this is NOT is poutine. Or anything even approximating a poutine. This (delicious, succulent) MONSTROSITY has none of the elements of a poutine. Think you can replace cheese curds by slapping a nice block o cheddar on there? Think again jack.
This is like a business executive saying he's gone super punk rock because he got a Coldplay tattoo. The point has been entirely missed.
Let your cooking be the delicious...whatever that it is. You leave poutine alone.
All true! - I can't/won't defend myself! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
But by way of further explanation, the faux French and intentional pretentiousness was in the context of yet another boring and unimaginative office party centered around bad take-out Chinese food and pizza. Walking around cubicle-land wearing a chef's jacket, wielding a blowtorch and formally serving these - whatever they should be called - was just part of the fun. 🙂