AKA What To Do With All This Leftover Polenta???
I did it! I finally learned how to make polenta for my Foodie Bucket List which rocks but what I was not expecting was so many damn leftovers from 1 1/4 cup of cornmeal. Holy crap!
The Dilemma
My friend Florence suggested I make polenta fries and I thought, perfect! I lined a square cake pan with parchment and left all that beautiful yellow goo to set overnight in the fridge.
Bring On The Fries
I removed the now-hardened polenta, trimmed off the sides and sliced into long pieces but they were too thick!
So I sliced them in half width-wise and then cut the fries from that.
I put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put in a preheated 450F oven for 20 minutes (less time if your oven runs hot).
So cool! They really do look like fries but they are made with cornmeal.
Foodie Results
Florence suggested I have them with a basil aioli but I have this PC Chipotle Mayo Sandwich Spread which is spicy, tangy and smoky. Too easy.
Were they as crispy as deep-fried fries? No but they did have some bite and come on… They were made from leftover polenta, how cool is that?
I absolutely loved them and highly recommend making your own with leftover polenta. Total foodie fun.
They look pretty good!
Thanks Debra! And if you want them to be a little crispier my friend Florence also suggested you do a panko crust and fry them!
You can also pan fry your set polenta with some olive oil and eat it with some cheese, so good! Growing up with two Italian parents we ate a lot of polenta and that was favourite, especially with strong asiago cheese. YUM!
That sounds fantastic Laura! Yes, add in some Asiago cheese and fry them up… Yum! Thanks for the suggestion!