Polenta Fries

We all crave French fries at times, yes? Their crisp, golden crust and creamy, soft interior make for an amazing mouth feel. However, they're usually so greasy that they leave you nursing a stomach ache for the rest of the night. Sometimes the pain is worth it, but usually it's not. Despite that, it's always nice to sink your teeth into something with complex textures that reminds you of one of the most comforting "American" foods. So, with that, I decided to take this classic, turn it on its heels and put my own spin on it.


Garlic sage polenta fries
Ingredients
- 1 cup polenta
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Turn to a simmer and slowly whisk in polenta. Stir constantly until thickened, about 20 minutes. Fold in garlic, sage, cheese and seasoning. Place in a square container (I used tupperware), place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface, pressing down to make an even top. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Cut polenta into uniform fries of your desired size. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Sprinkle with salt or Romano cheese immediately, if desired. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Dare I say I like these more than French fries? They're wonderfully crispy outside and almost melt in my mouth upon biting into them. The sage isn't overwhelming, but adds a nice seasonal, woodsy hint.



As a note, be easy on the salt. The Romano is salty on its own, so you don't need much extra. But don't skimp on the cheese - it definitely takes these over the top.



Next time you have a fry craving, give these a go. Your stomach will thank me in more ways than one.

Burning My Hands Was So Worth It.

I'm not sure if words can accurately describe how amazing this dinner was, so the pictures will have to speak for themselves.


Polenta lasagna

Ingredients
- 1/2 tube prepared polenta
- 1 15-oz can tomatoes of choice (I used Muir Glen fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes)
- 1/4-1/3 cup tofu ricotta*
- 1/2 large portobello mushroom, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup red kale, pressed & chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- S&P (I just added a bit to the polenta while in the pan)

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cut polenta into 1/4 in. wide discs. I cut my discs in half to fit into my dish better, but feel free to leave them as is.
- Spray a medium sized pan with olive oil spray (or just use some actual oil) and pan fry the discs until golden. Set aside.
- Remove kale from stems and boil until softened. Run under cool water, drain, and press with hands to remove excess moisture. Chop and set aside.
- Dump tomatoes in pan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until desired thickness is achieved. This kind had a lot of liquid, so I ended up draining some so it wouldn't be a soupy mess.
- Put a tiny bit of sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Layer polenta, then tofu ricotta, mushrooms, kale, sauce, repeat. Continue until you can't anymore, then pour on a bit more sauce. Sprinkle with basil and pepper flakes if desired.
- Bake (preferably covered) for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

I used a fairly small, round Corningware dish, so I'm sure these measurements will be much different if you use a standard baking dish. I apologize that I can't convert them, but I'm an English major and lack math skills of any kind. I'm sure you can get the gist, though.


Just out of the oven.

Wait for it...

Oh, yes.

I'm dumb and lifted the glass lid with my bare hands directly from the oven. Twice. I have nice burn marks on my palm and fingers. Do I care? No. This dish is just that delicious.

* The star of the show is easily the tofu ricotta. It's also easily one of my new favorite things ever. I used this recipe, but only made enough for one serving.


So much better than actual ricotta! I swear!

The crushed tomatoes were also out of this world. Muir Glen is hands down the best canned tomato brand I've ever had. It's a shame it's also one of the most expensive.

But really, I implore you to make this dish. I had to stop myself from eating the whole dish so that I could have leftovers for lunch.

In other news, I tried something new at the gym today: the bike!
I had about a 40 minute window before a final exam, so I decided to do 30 minutes cross trainer > 15 minutes bike. I ended up doing 2.65 miles on the cross trainer and 5.5 miles on the bike; I definitely feel like I got a good work out. If only I could say the same about my exam.