After Salad of Curried Lamb Prosciutto and Kentucky Fried Quail here comes third (last ?) helping from Smoke and Pickles, Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen (Artisan Books, Spring 2013) by Brooklyn born, Louisville based chef Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia ...

Kimchi Poutine 

This recipe falls under the category of “everything tastes better with kimchi.” I first had poutine at Martin Picard’s restaurant Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and it has haunted me ever since. Poutine is a perverse homage to all things fatty and oozy: it is a plate of french fries topped with melted cheese curds and gravy. Recently poutine has made its mark stateside in various incarnations. Chef Picard tops his with foie gras; I timidly drape mine with kimchi. 

Serve the poutine with one of those big bottles of Delirium Tremens by Brouwerij Huyghe. 

Feeds 2 or 1 very hungry person as a snack 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

As many freshly made Crispy French Fries (page 241) as will fit in a 6-inch cast-iron skillet in a single layer

½ cup cheese curds (see note)

¼ cup chopped Red Cabbage–Bacon Kimchi (page 166)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

2.Melt the butter in a 6-inch skillet. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 3 minutes to make a roux. Gradually add the cream, chicken stock, and soy sauce, stirring until smooth. Season the gravy with the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

3. Place the french fries in the bottom of a 6-inch cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle the cheese curds and kimchi over them. Heat the skillet in the oven until the cheese is warm and melty, about 5 minutes. 

4. Remove the skillet from the oven and pour the gravy over the fries. Top with the chopped parsley and serve right away, in the skillet. 

NOTE: Cheese curds are the milk solids from soured milk traditionally used in poutine. They’re hard to find fresh, so a good melty Havarti or Jack cheese, grated, works just fine.

( Excerpted from Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2013. Photographs by Grant Cornett.)