You can make the fries thicker, thinner or even from a bag with McCains( Ore_Ida for those in the states)
The Gravy matters, as does the cheese.. I fyou want fancy versions with Muchrooms.. sure go to Montreal.. But really, Its not Poutine...
Which BTW is Pronounced Poo-tsein or poots-in
Poo-teen is the english way they pronouce it. Even a person from Northen New England knows Poo - teen doesnt work

It's a popular item here in Ottawa. We have a diner here with a really great breakfast...It's called a Hangover Breakfast. Two eggs, meat of your choice (bacon, ham or sausage), baked beans, poutine, toast, and coffee, tea or milk.

I don't know if it will cure a hangover but it sure keeps you full until noon time.

Anyway, continuing the theme of Québécois items, let's have a post on Les Cowboys Fringants--I think they could catch on in the US!

Most purists insist on using cheese curds, but in a pinch, grated mild cheddar will do. Just go to the nearest place that offers fries and gravy, and bring some grated cheddar in a bag with you. Toss it in and stir, or talk to the guy and see if he'll let you drop the cheese on the fries before he smothers them with gravy.

The secret is that the fries should be HOT, to melt the cheese, and if you can find a place that cuts their own potatoes into fries that's the best...even better if they fry them in peanut oil, but not many places do.

There are many variations of poutine. A common variation, Italian poutine, substitutes gravy with "spaghetti sauce" (a thick tomato and ground beef sauce, roughly analogous to Bolognese sauce), while another popular variation includes sausage slices. Greek poutine consists of shoestring fries topped with feta cheese and a warm Mediterranean vinaigrette.

Some restaurants boast a dozen or more variations of poutine. For instance, you may find more upscale poutine with three-pepper sauce, Merguez sausage, foie gras or even caviar and truffle. Another variation, poutine Galvaude, includes shredded chicken and green peas, often eliminating the cheese — this mimics the typical Québécois preparation of a hot chicken sandwich. When ordering a fast food combination meal in eastern Canada, you can pay extra to get your french fries replaced with a poutine. Note that fast food poutine is considered "fake poutine" by poutine afficionados, as the freshness or the kind of cheese (a common substitution is grated cheese) is not the same as in Québec where you can usually buy fresh cheese curds daily in almost any convenience store.

The etymology of the word is a subject of much debate in Québec. Many believe that it may be an adaptation of the English word pudding, the word being attested from the end of the 19th century in Oscar Dunn's Canadian French dictionary with the meaning of pudding, and with similar meanings in Acadian French and Cajun French. Some marginal Quebecer linguists think that the word evolved from Provençal poutingo, which means bad stew, under the phonetic influence of English pudding (if so, this would possibly be the only Provençal word to have penetrated the modern Quebec French lexicon). However, the Québec office of the French Language (Office québécois de la langue française) states this is not true.

Btw, for the best poutine I ever ate, in Montreal go to La Banquise. It's at 994 Rachel St E.

It is in western Canada. Cripes, the poutine they served at my school was nasty stuff.

It is not pronounced poo-teen.

Try poo-tin. It is closer.