Words by

York Underwood

Photo by

Art Bicnick

Many people describe Skyr as Icelandic “yogurt,” but it’s actually a cheese. Traditional Skyr is really high in protein, but most of the small cups you buy in grocery stores and gas stations are packed with sugar. I’m not Icelandic. I moved here over a year ago and I’m fascinated by Skyr.

I’ve experimented with it–sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing miserably. I’ve written down all my successes. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Icelandic Poutine:

I realize if you’re not using squeaky cheese curds, it’s not poutine, but there are a few hockey rinks and bowling alleys west of Quebec that try to pass off poutine with shredded mozzarella–so there are worse abominations out there.

This is Icelandic Poutine. Actually, if you get Skyr that hasn’t been whipped, you can wrap it in cheese cloth and put a little weight on it over night. This makes the Skyr solid and crumbly, but it’s still more of an oozy melt than the stringy, squeaky cheese curd original.

I like it this way. It’s a rich sauce and a peppery gravy. I won’t be singing the Log Riders’ song, but I still feel like the rest of Canada should send me money.

WARNING: You can’t live off this. It’s definitely a hungover/drunk/comfort food. You will die if you try to live off this, but hey, “Don’t Skyr the reaper…”

Ingredients:

1. 3 Cloves of Garlic
2. A tub of Skyr
3. Steak Spice
4. Chives
5. Olive Oil
6. Potatoes
7. 3L of Vegetable Oil (or Sunflower or Canola)
8. Gravy (You decide if you have drippings lying around or if you need to make it from a package).
9. Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Dice potatoes into fries and deep fry at 205 °C.
2. Mix Skyr with steak spice, garlic, salt and pepper. I use a hand blender. Drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Make gravy.
4. Season fries with salt and drizzle Skyr and gravy on top.
5. Dice chives and toss on top as a garnish.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Make sure to share this recipe on Facebook or Twitter. Feel free to send me photos of your Icelandic Poutine or any Skyr recipes you might have.

Takk!