Crispy Polenta Triangles with Herbed Goat Cheese
Ingredients
6 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced (If you can’t find fresh rosemary, 1⁄2 teaspoon dried will work in a pinch.)
4 cups water
Salt
1 cup instant polenta
Ground black pepper
8 ounce goat cheese, softened
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
1. Cook the garlic and 3 tablespoons oil in a small nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until the garlic is golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the rosemary and let cool until needed.
2. Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper and coat lighting with cooking spray; set aside. Bring the water to a boil, covered, in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, stir in 1 teaspoon salt, and then pour the polenta into the water in a very slow stream, stirring in a circular motion with a wooden spoon.
3. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the polenta is soft and smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in reserved garlic and rosemary mixture, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, until firm and sliceable, about 1 hour.
4. When the polenta is firm, use the tip of a paring knife to slice it into twenty-four, 2 by 2 1⁄4-inch rectangles. Slice each rectangle in half on the diagonal into 2 bite-sized triangles. Mix the goat cheese with the oil and parsley, and then transfer to a small zipper-lock bag. (I believe that I cut mine smaller than the recipe wanted, but they were still fantastic.)
5. TO STORE: Cover the dish of sliced polenta tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the polenta and goat cheese mixture for up to 2 days.
6. TO SERVE: Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 500*F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray them with cooking spray; set aside. Let the goat cheese mixture stand at room temperature to soften. Transfer the polenta triangles to the prepared baking sheets (don’t crowd the triangles or they won’t crisp).
7. Bake the polenta, 1 tray at a time, until crisp and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the hot polenta triangles to a warm serving platter. Snip off the corner of the goat cheese bag using scissors and pipe about 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese on top of each polenta triangle before serving.
Comments
Oh my gosh, these were amazing. I found this recipe in The Best Make-Ahead Recipe and, being a huge fan of both polenta and goat cheese, I knew that I had to make it. Yet again the America’s Test Kitchen crowd didn’t let me down since these got devoured. The polenta was nice and crispy on the outside but still soft in the middle. The goat cheese complimented the flavors of the polenta extremely well, although I think I might have used a bit less per bite than the recipe called for, since I had some goat cheese mixture leftover. If you face the same predicament, the cheese mixture is great with crackers. I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be making this recipe many times in the future.
The Best Make-Ahead Recipe