Recipe: Oven Roasted Polenta

OVEN-ROASTED POLENTA

Amanda: "My life changed for the better when I learned how to roast polenta in the oven. It's a blasphemous way to cook polenta, but it works, and for me, it put polenta back on the menu. Rather than relentlessly stirring a pot on the stove (and still ending up with lumpy polenta), you stir the polenta every 15 minutes while the bubbling mass is safely contained in the oven. I like to challenge myself and see how many other things I can get done in between each stir, then I declare it my workout for the day.



A Fallback from Merrill: "In the fall, I serve this polenta with braised chicken thighs or sausage ragu."

8 cups (1.9L) water
2 cups (320g) coarsely ground polenta
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F (165C).

Pour 8 cups water into a Dutch oven. Whisk in the polenta and salt. Place the uncovered Dutch oven into the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Add more water as needed. When the polenta is soft and pudding-like, remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes.

Adjust the seasoning; stir in the butter and Parmesan.

TO MAKE AHEAD:
Amanda: "Polenta wasn't designed to be reheated, but it can be. Scoop it into a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add a little water to the pan and break it up with a strong wooden spoon. If it's very clumpy, I sometimes use a potato masher to smash the lumps and smooth it out."

Merrill: "I love Amanda's brilliant reheating method, but if you're feeling nervous about lumps, you can cut squares of chilled polenta, fry them in olive oil, and then top with bolognese, greens, chicken thighs, or ragu."

Serves 4 for 2 dinners
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Food52 A New Way to Dinner: A playbook of recipes and strategies for the week ahead by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs