Baked Polenta Fries

09Nov07

I love polenta. Please, don’t tell me it’s just grits by another name. I can’t imagine a nice marinara sauce on a bowl of grits–it’s simply not the same thing. Nor can I wrap my mind around the idea of baked grits fries.

 

 

 

This is from 101 Cookbooks

Baked Polenta Fries

This is a great make-ahead recipe. You can make a selection of dipping sauces in the days before you want to serve it and cook up the polenta in advance as well. The day of a party or dinner cut and bake-off the fries just before serving.

2 cups organic milk
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups polenta (see above)
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup melted clarified butter or olive oil

Bring the milk and water just to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly stream in the polenta while stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and turn down the heat a bit if needed (you don’t want the polenta to scorch). Continue stirring until the polenta thickens up (see picture), this can take anywhere from just a few minutes to much longer depending on your polenta. Stir in the cheese.

Remove from heat and spread out 1/2-inch thick onto a baking sheet using a spatula (although I feel like I get a better shape by letting it cool a minute or two and then using my hands). Chill in a refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight. Cut into wide-cut “fry” shapes using a straight-edge for guidance and uniformity (or opt for a more rustic cut). Rub each fry with a bit of clarified butter or olive oil and sprinkle with some salt.

Bake in a 450 degree oven, middle rack, for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip the fries once after ten minutes.

Makes 2 dozen wide-cut fries.

Filed under: Food, Vegetarian, cooking, recipes   |  3 Comments