I made Irish-inspired bacon poutine with sausage, and a melty mild Irish cheddar cheese with brown gravy and it is heaven in a pan!
This bacon poutine recipe is pretty simple, takes about 40 minutes, and although it is not a traditional Canadian poutine recipe, it does keep in tradition with keeping it nice and easy, just like my Irish Cheddar Soda Bread, another St. Patrick's day favorite!
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Inspired by a dish at an Irish restaurant I love, this is the best poutine recipe I've had in a long time. It's got all the good stuff: crispy fries, nice savory gravy, meat for the meat lovers and delicious melty cheese! I kept the gravy simple because I can, but a homemade version would be delicious as well!
If you need veggies with it, it's fantastic with another Irish themed food like buttery easy crockpot cabbage.
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Why You'll LOVE This Recipe
- THE CHEESE. There's nothing like a good melty mild irish cheddar cheese on top of french fries to brighten your day and make your taste buds happy.
- Bacon and Sausage - along with potatoes are all very Irish if I do say so myself. The meat rounds out the dish, making it either a filling appetizer or loaded fries for dinner.
- It's a great St. Patrick's Day dinner recipe, but it's also a great game day appetizer.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Bacon - thick cut is best for this, trust me!
- Sausage - Irish bangers are best, but bratwurst is an easily found and similar tasting substitute.
- Gravy - Traditionally, a type of brown gravy is used for poutine. Homemade or a mix would be fine, it really isn't fancy in Canada.
- Colby Jack Cheese - this helps even out the flavor of the mild cheddar, as well as adding more melty cheese to the mix.
- French Fries - I use regular cut, but a thick cut variety or crinkle cut would work as well. Just make sure to adjust cooking time as needed if using thicker fries.
✏️ Substitutions
- Colby Jack and Irish cheddar can be substituted for gouda, meunster, or another mild flavored cheese.
- The Irish sausage can be swapped with bratwurst, which is usually easier to find in the United States.
- A chicken or turkey gravy could be used in place of the brown gravy if preferred.
🆒 Variations
- Add chopped green onions after baking the poutine for a pop of color and flavor!
- Sweet potato fries, seasoned fries, waffle fries, or crinkle cut fries would be an awesome switch.
- This bacon poutine would also be delicious with corned beef or brisket on top!
🧑🍳 Instructions
Don't forget to preheat the oven to 425 ℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1. Bake French fries according to package directions, about 30 minutes to be very crispy. Leave the oven on after! We'll need it to melt the cheese later.
Slice bacon and raw sausage into small pieces.
Step 2. Cook sausage and bacon over medium heat in a frying pan for about 10-12 minutes, until bacon is crispy. Drain any excess grease, then set aside the meat to cool.
Step 4. While fries are baking and the meat is cooking, prepare the gravy mix according to package directions to make about 1 cup of gravy.
When the french fries are finished baking, pour the gravy over the fries.
Step 5. Layer the shredded colby jack cheese and cut up the mild irish cheddar over the fries and gravy, then spread the cooked meat evenly over the top.
TIP: You can always pour the gravy on after melting the cheese in the oven if waiting to serve for a few minutes, this will help avoid soggy fries.
Step 6. Bake the fries one more time to melt the cheese, about 5-7 minutes. It also helps to crisp up the fries a bit more.
📌 Top Tips
- Make sure to bake the fries until they're very crispy, otherwise they can become soggy with gravy. I baked mine 5-7 minutes longer than reccomended.
- Serve right away so it doesn't become soggy!
- Make sure to use a MILD Irish cheese if you're sensitive to strong cheese. The dubliner and sharp white Irish cheddar are pretty strong tasting, and if used should be grated and mixed into the colby jack cheese. Kids may not appreciate the stronger taste.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the oven or an air fryer for 5 minutes at 350℉ for best results. A microwave can make the fries taste a little dried out.
Poutine is a Canadian food made with french fries and topped with cheese curds and gravy.
Poitin is a type of Irish liquor also known as Irish moonshine, distilled and usually made from potatoes.
A few fried sausages, smoked brisket, or slow cooked pork would be delicious with poutine.
Traditional Canadian poutine is just the french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. This Irish poutine recipe has meat because it's delicious.
Beef broth, flour, butter, and salt usually. Very simple is the default, although there are a lot of fancy recipes out there.
🍀 More St. Patricks Day Recipes
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📝 Printable Recipe
Irish Poutine with Bacon
Ingredients
- 32 oz bag of frozen french fries
- 3 large raw sausages or bratwurst
- 8 oz thick cut bacon
- 1 .87oz package brown gravy mix
- 2 cups colby jack cheese
- 7 oz mild irish cheddar cheese
- fresh parsley for garnish.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place frozen fries onto baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until nice and crispy, stirring at the 15 minute mark.* Leave the oven on after the fries finished baking for toasting the cheese.
- Meanwhile, chop the sausages and bacon into small pieces, and cook on medium/high heat for 10 minutes, until cooked and bacon is crispy.
- Prepare gravy mix with water according to package instructions.
- When fries are finished, pour gravy over fries.
- Sprinkle on the cheese, and then spread the cooked bacon and sausage evenly over the fries. Bake for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese and crisp up the meat. Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot and enjoy!
Sophie says
So I can't have cheese or regular potatoes (the "joys" of an A.I.P. diet)...but I like this idea. Do you think this could work with sweet potatoes and just gravy and meat on top?
Sara says
Yep this recipe is very forgiving. It’ll taste different but I’ve never met a potato with meat I didn’t like!
Stephanie says
This looks amazing! I want to try it.