When we hit the roads of summer to go visit the in-laws, we stop about twice a summer at this potato stand in Carleton Place, The Crispy Spud. An old chip truck on cinder blocks, it is located on Highway 15, it is family owned since 2011, and offers your usual food truck fare, like hot dogs and burgers and french fries. It is usually opened from May to October, but be aware that you’ll need to bring cash!

They also have a big menu section for their Specialty Poutines, with 32 options to choose from in two sizes, small ($14) or large ($18). The selection includes things like Chili, Pepperoni, Hawaiian and Mushroom. Without consultation, we all decided to order one, looking forward to the fries, gravy and curds – and all the delicious extra toppings!

While we waited for our food, we sat at one of the picnic tables, jealously eyeing the one table that was in the shade. It was 28 degrees and the sun was blazing. The lady who was finishing up her meal with her grandson waved us over to offer the table right away, allowing us to secure the most sought after piece of real state on the grounds. Despite being besides the highway, they have put some effort into the landscaping – and they sure love their Canadian flags. After about 10 minutes, buzzer #18 went off to call us back to the pick up window.

Mini-Waffle had decided to go for the Indian Butter Chicken Poutine. He’s been looking for those lately, ever since he spotted one on the Law & Order menu and tried it.

The butter chicken sauce was thick and rich, slightly spicy. The menu has a disclaimer for peanuts and tree nuts, but none were visible. Likely, an outside supplier is used. The chicken pieces were white meat and were tender enough. Oskie was quick to note however that the chicken had not been cooked with the sauce, which made for a less wholesome flavour. “At Law & Order, they cook the chicken with the sauce, it’s better!” he opined. Truth is, that is not the case, but the chicken used by L&O is breaded chicken tenders tossed in the sauce, which allows for the flavour to penetrate with more depth. Here, the sauce is only added on top of the fries, cheese and chicken. Still, not bad.

The Waffle Jr. picked her favourite flavour profile, Taco style – no green onions please.

Now, this one looked like a mini taco salad on top of a poutine. So on top of the poutine, you had a bed of romaine lettuce (Iceberg would be better), corn chips, taco beef, sour cream, guacamole, tomato and shredded cheese, with extra taco seasoning. Thumbs up for going all in and not skimping on the toppings. The seasoning totally worked and tex-mex expert Clara couldn’t stop eating, even after the she was full. She pushed it away and came back to it twice!

Ms. Waffle had elected also for one of her favourite flavour, buffalo chicken.

Crispy chicken tenders tossed in Frank’s, diced tomato, shredded cheddar and ranch dressing. The sauce was deliciously tangy, the Frank’s flavour on full display on the breaded chicken. Not sure the shredded cheese was necessary on top of the curds for this one. The ranch dressing wasn’t bad but I’d rather they go for blue cheese dressing. As for the tomatoes, not sure why they are involved. Nevertheless, pretty good.

As for me, I went Newfie Style! A Poutine with dressing, ground beef and newfie steak!

Now, that is something you don’t see everyday. On this one, you can best see the dark, rich, beefy gravy that they used for their poutines, served piping hot. Not bad at all. The Crispy Spud also offers a vegan option made from beans. lol. I had heard about Newfoundland fries, which does come with a breadcrumb dressing flavoured with savoury spice. In this poutine, it didn’t really shine over the meats and the gravy, but it was giving the dish some depth. Interesting. The ground beef seems to come from a burger patty, chopped up, which makes for some nice charring. As for the Newfie steak, it is simply a thick slice of fried baloney, ie a “steak”. Obviously, it was chopped up and not served as a steak. I thought it could have been fried a little longer – it wasn’t very crispy. It certainly brought some saltiness to the dish – not that it needed it.

Nobody seems to know why fried bologna is called a Newfie steak (Or Newfoundland steak). What we know, however, is that of the six million kilograms of bologna sold by Maple Leaf across Canada, 60 % is consumed in Atlantic Canada, over 3.5 million kilograms. Newfoundland and Labrador alone accounts for 60 percent of these sales, with more than 2.1 million kilo of bologna eaten annually by its half a million residents. Apparently, the arrival of bologna in Newfoundland can be traced back to the salt cod trade to Italy, who might have brought bologna to the island in the 1600s.

Crispy fries are the cornerstone of a perfect poutine, offering a delightful contrast to the creamy gravy and cheese curds. At the top, the fries were golden and crunchy, retaining their texture despite being doused in the rich, savory sauce. However, at the bottom of the poutine, as time went by, the fries lost their crispiness, soaking up the gravy and becoming tender – but not mushy. Meanwhile, the cheese curds, as is too often the case in Ontario, were not squeaky. The curds weren’t cold, thankfully, which allowed them to melt and become gooey.

At first, I thought I would order a large, but decided against it, gambling on the Waffle family to fail to finish. And I was right! We got plenty of food and left Crispy Spud satisfied.