Crunchy Polenta Roasties Food

CRUNCHY POLENTA ROASTIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pour a good glug of oil in a large roasting tin and put in the oven. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Bring to the boil and cook for 7-8 mins.
• Drain the potatoes, then toss them in the polenta to help them dry out and get a fluffy coating. Carefully tip the potatoes into the hot roasting tin, drizzle over a little more oil and toss to coat.
• Roast for 30 mins, then turn them over and roast for 30 mins. Turn once more and cook for a further 10 mins. These can go on the lower shelf while you make an accompanying dish (such as our veggie toad-in-the-hole), and can cook for a further 15-20 mins if required.

ROASTED POLENTA WITH GARDEN VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Make the Polenta: Bring the chicken stock, butter, pepper, and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. While whisking the hot stock in a quick circular motion, "rain" in the polenta by letting it stream through your fingers. (This will prevent lumping.)
• Reduce the polenta to a gentle simmer; it must be stirred constantly for 25 to 35 minutes to prevent lumps or scorching. Be very careful when stirring, the mixture is very hot (think lava) and can burn you if it boils and sputters. If it begins to boil cover the pot and reduce the heat until boiling stops!
• The polenta is cooked when it is no longer grainy and has become creamy. (My grandmother says good polenta takes 30 minutes, great polenta takes 1 hour).
• Stir in the Parmesan and basil and pour onto a buttered sheet pan to cool. When cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut the polenta into any shape you desire that's structurally sound. In other words, a shape that won't fall apart on the grill easily, or be difficult to remove from the sheet pan after roasting. Squares, triangles, stars etc.
• Make the Marinade and Vegetables: Whisk together the vinegar and garlic. While whisking, drizzle in the oil to make a smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the vegetables with the marinade.
• When ready to serve, preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan.
• Brush the polenta lightly on both sides with olive oil and grill, turning once, until the edges are brown and crispy.
• At the same time grill the vegetables until they are tender but still firm.
• Pile the vegetables on top of the polenta, then stand back and wait for the applause!

CRISPY POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• Pour warm polenta into an oiled 8-by-8-inch square pan and smooth out top. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours but up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Flip polenta onto a cutting board. Brush the top with olive oil. Cut into 16 two-inch squares. Preheat a baking sheet for a few minutes and place the squares on the sheet.
• Place baking sheet in the upper third rack of the oven. Cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the tomato topping by combining all ingredients in a bowl and tossing to coat. Let sit until ready to serve.
• Increase oven setting to broil and cook polenta squares until golden brown on top, about 3 minutes. Transfer squares to a platter and scatter tomato mixture on top.

CRISPY POLENTA

Steps:

• Brush a small rimmed baking sheet with olive oil; set aside. In a large pot, bring 6 cups water to a boil over high heat; season with salt. Slowly whisk in polenta, and cook, partially covered, and stirring every 4 to 5 minutes, over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Carefully pour polenta onto prepared baking sheet, spreading it out to an even thickness. Let cool, and tear into 1-inch pieces; lightly dust with flour.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Meanwhile, heat sunflower oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot until it registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Using a slotted spoon, carefully add polenta in batches while maintaining the temperature of the oil. Cook until crispy, about 4 minutes. Transfer to prepared baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately seasoned with sea salt.

CRISPY SEASONED POLENTA SQUARES

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, bring the water, tomatoes, salt, onion and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon for 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Stir in cheese and oregano. Spread into a 9-in. square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes., Cut polenta into nine squares. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and cilantro. Dip polenta in the egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture. , In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook polenta in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

SAVORY CRISPY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour 8x8 or 7x11 baking dish.
• Carmelize the onions in 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Do not allow to burn. Set aside.
• Stir cornmeal and salt into 1 cup warm water. Add 1 cup boiling water and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Lower temperature and continue stirring until the consistency of heavy batter.
• Remove from heat and stir in 2/3 of the onions and 3/4 of the cheese. Mix well.
• Pour into baking dish and smooth to level. Top with reserved onions and cheese. Drizzle remaining olive oil over top. Sprinkle with freshly grated black pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Bake 40-45 minutes or until top is golden and sides have pulled away from dish.
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes to set, then cut into servings.

PERFECT ROASTIES - ROAST POTATOES FOR ENGLISH SUNDAY LUNCH

Steps:

• Par-boil the potatoes first.
• Once they are peeled and cut into similar sizes (small potatoes in two, large ones in four), put the potatoes into cold, salted water and bring to the boil. As soon as they start boiling, boil for about 5 to 6 minutes, then drain all the water off (keeping some for the gravy later), let some of the steam evaporate off, then put the lid on securely and shake the potatoes in the pan until the edges are roughened and fluffed up.
• Add the flour and shake again, to coat all the potatoes in a thin coating of flour. This is what will absorb the hot oil to make a crisp surface as the potatoes roast. Leave the lid off now so they dry a little until the oil is ready.
• Heat the oil first.
• In a roasting pan, that is large enough to take the potatoes in a single layer, put enough vegetable oil, duck fat or goose fat to cover the bottom with ease. The potatoes mustn't be bathed in the oil, so keep it less than ½ cm or ¼ inch deep.
• Put the tray into the hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 10 minutes before the potatoes need to go inches Once the oil is smoking hot, put the potatoes in so they sizzle and turn them around so they are all coated in the hot fat/oil, then return the tray to the oven to roast. The potatoes can be turned two or three times during cooking.
• Timing.
• The potatoes need to stay in the hot oven until the very last minute when you are ready to serve lunch. If they hang around keeping warm they lose their crisp edge and gradually dwindle into leathery bullets. They need 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours at 200°C/400°F to reach optimum crispiness. Time the meat to be ready 10 minutes before them, so it can rest, you can make the gravy and summon the troops to table, and only then produce the potatoes still sizzling from the oven, and sprinkled with freshly milled sea salt.
• (If people are late in arriving for lunch, the potatoes can take another 10-15 minutes getting even more crispy in the oven, but after that I'd just get on and eat them without the latecomers!).
• Roasting tin.
• I get the crispiest results from my enamel roasting tins. Pyrex or glass trays result in softer, less crispy potatoes. Metal trays are also excellent for roasting potatoes.
• Temperature.
• Keep the hottest part of the oven for the potatoes. Juggling the roast meat, roast potatoes and everything in a small oven is tricky but the potatoes will only get crisp if they can roast in blazing heat for a while. If all else fails, when the meat comes out, turn the oven up to the highest heat and put the potatoes on the top shelf for a blasting. Last on the list of emergency remedies, put them under a hot grill (broiler) for the last five minutes while you are getting the table ready.