- February 1, 2019
- Appetizers
Low Carb Bacon & Jalapeno Poutine
This low carb jicama fry based poutine recipe is to die for! Topped with a gluten free gravy, crispy bacon, spicy jalapenos to make the perfect poutine recipe!
Poutine was first created back in Quebec in the 1950’s. A customer wished to have cheese curds added to his fries and history was apparently made across Canada and beyond. That’s obviously the short and sweet version, but poutine (also meaning mess) is a staple bar food found even now throughout the U.S.
Each week I like to come up with a fun, keto or low carb friendly food pairing to go with one of my signature Bon Appeteach “Book Club” cocktails. This week, this midwestern girl was feeling some good old down and dirty bar food classics. I was inspired by my Grilled Jicama Fries recipe and knew I could easily make a pretty epic keto friendly poutine with them!
Find the full recipe for this Low Carb inspired Bacon and spicy Jalapeno Poutine below and read on for the tips and tricks!
“School” Supplies:
- Baking Sheet (if roasting the jicama fries)
- Tongs
- Frying Pan
- Small Pot
- Knife & Cutting Board
“Class” Notes:
The culinary teacher in me, must recommend doing all your mise en place first (aka put in place… aka prep everything before you start). If you are grilling the jicama fries, they cook up fairly fast and you want to be prepared (I actually would suggest making your fries last if you are grilling so everything is hot).
Slice the jicama into an allumette cut (the standard size for most French fries). I like to pat the jicama dry and season with salt, pepper, and turmeric (it gives it a nice golden brown color like real fries).
Slice up the jalapeno into rounds (I leave the seeds in for some extra spice) and set them aside. Cook your bacon using your preferred method, cut into pieces, and set aside.
Now, I live in Kansas City, and am still very much a part of the Midwest. I was able to easily find cheddar cheese curds at my local grocer. If you cannot find cheese curds, maybe try cutting smaller pieces of your favorite cheese into squares (fresh mozzarella would be the closest in texture). I know it’s not quite the same… but it’s still cheese and counts for something right?
Next, I like to prep the keto friendly gravy. I start by making what I like to call the keto roux. Melt some butter on low heat in a small saucepan and add in a little Xanthan Gum. If you do not have xanthan gum, buy some. If you don’t want to buy any sub with arrowroot starch or even cornstarch (just adjust the carbs accordingly as these are higher than the xanthan gum).
Mix with a whisk till the xanthan gum is dissolved into the butter and cooks on low for about a minute. Slowly add in your favorite beef broth or stock of choice and whisk away. Season with salt, pepper , a little garlic and onion powder too. Let it cook on low heat and allow it to slightly thicken.
Finally, roast, grill, or fry your fries. I have tried every method and have a few tips. If you are frying or roasting, cut the jicama a little smaller. Fry them in oil in batches with the oil temp set at about 350 F. For roasting, I actually like to preheat the pan in the oven to encourage browning before I place the jicama on the pan. I roast at a higher temperature of 425 F.
My personal favorite method however, is grilling. It’s easy, fast, and gets a nice char on the jicama. Jicama doesn’t taste like a potato but still has a nice crunchy texture to it which makes is a good fry replacement that’s lower in carbs. I oil them up, and place them directly on my Lynx grill grates and let them cook away in a matter of minutes.
To assemble the Low Carb Bacon Jalapeno Poutine, place some jicama fries into a basket, sprinkle a few pieces of bacon, jalapeno, and cheese curds over the fries. Cover in gravy. Then finish it off with a bit more curds, jalapeno, and bacon!
This poutine makes a great keto appetizer or party food. Try pairing it with this week’s Bon Appeteach “Book Club” cocktail, The Smoking Gun Negroni too! Be sure to check out this whole recipe and how it was made by finding it in my highlights section over on Instagram.
Low Carb Bacon & Jalapeno Poutine
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Jicama
- 2 tsp. Turmeric
- 1 Jalapeno sliced into rounds
- 8 Slices of Bacon cooked
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese Curds
- 2 tbsp. Salted Butter
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum read more regarding this in the blog post
- 1 1/2 cups Beef Stock
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
Instructions
- Peel and slice the jicama into an allumette cut (see blog post for more info). If frying or roasting cut slightly smaller for quicker cooking times. Pat the jicama fries dry and season with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and turmeric and set aside.
- Cook the bacon using your preferred method and slice the jalapeno into thin rounds.
- In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the xanthan gum and stir until it dissolves. Whisk in the beef stock and allow it to cook on medium low to thicken slightly. Season with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder.
- Cooking the jicama can be done in 3 different ways. I will provide you with directions for each. Please note that grilling is bar far the fastest and roasting is the slowest. Frying is the only method I find that truly gives the jicama more of a crispy outside as well.
- BAKING- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the pan in the oven to preheat with the oven (this helps with browning the jicama). Take the jicama and place it on the hot baking sheet and make sure they are spread out and not touching (or they will steam). Cook for about 15-20 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- FRYING- Preheat oil to 350 F. Fry the jicama in batches. Mine took around 7-8 minutes to brown and crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain any excess grease. Season again if desired.GRILLING- This is the fastest method. Preheat the grill to medium heat. I set my grill for 2 zone cooking (this allows for both indirect and direct heat to be applied). Cook the jicama first over indirect heat for about 10 minutes. Then place the jicama over direct heat to get a slight char and brown a bit. Flip as needed and remove from the heat when cooked.
- To assemble the poutine, I place about a 1/2 cup of fries into a bowl or basket. Sprinkle on a few cheese curds, bacon, and jalapeno slices. Cover in about a 1/4 cup of gravy. Add more curds, jalapeno, and bacon over the top and serve.