Poutine... (or gravy on the fly)

There are days when I feel completely less than virtuous as far as it comes to cooking... and certainly when it comes to eating. Oh yeah, these are the days where you just want to eat your stress. Or, eat your feelings as I joked to Amanda earlier today.

Ok ok... this is probably not how I should preface this little bit of tasty goodness. The truth is that eating broccoli doesn't always cut it. There are times when you need something unapologetically fatty or salty or sweet to satisfy that craving in your belly.

That said, I think that this is a slightly more virtuous version of one of my favourite stress-day indulgences... the glorious poutine. The fries are the baked fries from a few months ago... you can find those wonderfully squeeky cheese curds in any decent cheese market or deli section... and the gravy, while not laboured over while cooking a meaty chunk of something, is a step above a powdered version. Considering all of that, I will sit proudly, fork in hand, and enjoy every morsel of this satisfying treat.

Fries!!

Ummm... lots of potatoes around my house. And I'm addicted to fries.

Fries are awesome. But I can never bring myself to deep fry them in my house... that whole process is fussy and temperature specific and can be smelly and I can justify eating fries more often when if they are baked and not fried. (I probably just jinxed myself and will be writing something about deep frying in a few months... we shall see.)

BUT! They must be crispy! It is NOT worth eating a fry if it is a soggy mess... and these are not soggy messes of fries.

Yam Fries..

Typically, after the week at work, I will feel one of two ways about cooking dinner that night.. Either I need something that can go from fridge to table in the shortest time possible... or, I need to lose myself in the prepping and stirring and anticipation of a carefully prepared meal.

This Friday was the former... I did not want to labour in the kitchen but, rather, wanted something quick and easy. So, I opted to marry the sticky mustard chicken with yam fries... something simple and snackable but not labour intensive.

You can adjust the proportions depending on how many you need to feed... or how hungry you feel.