Indulge in the ultimate combination of crispy outsides and smooth insides with these yummy polenta wedges. Fried in mouth-watering browned butter, they provide a perfect blend of creamy and crunchy textures that will definitely make your taste buds happy.
With a little advance planning or the use of leftover polenta, you are in for a real treat! Pair these crispy wedges with a tomato aioli for an appetizer or team them up with a rich Italian meat sauce for the perfect special occasion dinner!
Read on for all the loving details, or skip on down to the recipe card!
Featured Ingredients
Polenta! - There is not much to this dish, so I'm going to spend some time on the most important ingredient. I've been making polenta from scratch for quite some time. I've always liked the texture and sweet/savory style flavor. I just had no idea I was cooking it incorrectly the whole time! Maybe I got close a time or two, but honestly, what I thought was "good" polenta was only half as good as it could've been.
I discovered this when I started to research the best way to fry polenta. I immediately noticed how many different grain to liquid ratios were used. Everything from 2:1 all the way up to 6:1. And the cooking time varied just as much. At that point, I decided I had to do a bit of testing. Turns out to fry wedges without them falling about, my original polenta recipe has to be made with less water. So, with this final recipe, keep in mind that it's done in the way that works best to yield the result we want for fried polenta wedges. This does not mean it's the only way to do it. I encourage you to try other methods once you've tried this one. For creamy spoonable polenta, use a ratio of 4:1 and cook it the same way as instructed in the recipe card.
Browned butter - This is where this recipe gets really good! You can make the entire recipe as written up to the point of frying and choose to use a neutral oil only. Or a mix of oil and butter. But the browned butter is where it's at! This is going to take your tastebuds on a vacation. Simple to make and has a huge effect on the end game of any dish it's used in. Browning the butter removes some moisture and caramelizes the milk solids leaving you with a toasty, nutty flavored butter. Really rich and decadent.
Tools for the job
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Deep pot, 3+ quarts
- Splatter guard or lid
- Whisk, wooden spoon, and spatula
- Cutting board and sharp knife (paid link)
- Large skillet
- Light colored skillet (optional)
- Square or rectangle dish, I used an 8x8 size.
How to make this dish - the details
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a deep pot on the stove, adding 1 teaspoon of salt
- Slowly pour a stream of polenta into the boiling water while whisking. Continue to whisk until it starts to thicken and sputter.
- When the polenta starts to spit and splash out of the pot, turn the heat low and cover it with a lid set askew or a splash guard. Set a time for 45 minutes. Time to set the whisk aside and move on to the wooden spoon.
- Stir the polenta every 5-7 minutes with the wooden spoon, gently pulling up anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the polenta gets too thick to stir comfortably, add a tiny bit of water to loosen it up.
- When the time is up, the polenta should be plump and soft in texture, no crunchy bites left.
- Pour it into an 8x8 greased pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate for a few hours until the polenta has cooled solid. Then, dump it out on a cutting board and slice it into triangles or squares. You could even use cookie cutters for a themed shape!
- Warm the light-colored skillet over medium heat and add the butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the color has darkened to a ruddy brown. Remove all but one tablespoon, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and turn the heat to medium-high.
- When the butter/oil mixture is warmed up, add a layer of polenta, leaving room between the pieces. Fry each side for 3-4 minutes. Listen for the sound of sizzling to quiet, and that's when it's almost time to flip the pieces using a flat spatula or flipper. This will splatter a lot, so have a lid or splatter guard ready to cover it.
- When both sides are fried, set the pieces on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess grease. If you are making a large batch, put the fried & drained pieces in a dish in the oven at 225°F to stay warm until they're all done.
- Serve with a meaty marinara sauce for a mouth-watering dinner or on a bed of sun-dried tomato aioli for the perfect appetizer!
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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Browned Butter Fried Polenta
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Enjoy the irresistible texture of crispy pan-fried polenta wedges that are cooked to perfection in a luscious and nutty browned butter.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup polenta
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces shredded parmesan (optional)
Instructions
Making the polenta
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a deep pot on the stove, adding 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Slowly pour a stream of polenta into the boiling water while whisking. Continue to whisk until it starts to thicken and sputter, 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the heat low, cover it with a lid set askew or a splash guard, and set a time for 45 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the polenta every 5-7 minutes, gently pulling up anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the polenta gets too thick to stir comfortably, add a tiny bit of water to loosen it up.
- When the time is up, the polenta should be plump and soft in texture, no crunchy bites left. Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and stir to incorporate. If using parmesan, stir it in now.
- Pour it into an 8x8 greased pan and smooth the top. Refrigerate for a few hours until the polenta has cooled solid. SEE NOTE 1.
Making the browned butter
- Warm a light colored skillet over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the pan. SEE NOTE 2. Once the butter has melted, lower the heat to medium-low.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the color has darkened to a ruddy brown. Do not raise the heat because the butter can burn easily.
- You will use only 1 tablespoon for this recipe. Reserve the remaining browned butter for another use.
Making the fried polenta
- In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of browned butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat up to medium-high.
- When the butter/oil mixture is warmed up, add a layer of polenta, leaving room between the pieces.
- Fry each side for 3-4 minutes. Listen for the sound of sizzling to quiet, then carefully flip the pieces using a flat spatula or flipper. The butter and polenta will splatter, use a lid set askew or a splatter guard while frying the wedges.
- When both sides are fried, set the pieces on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess grease. If you are making a large batch, put the fried & drained pieces in a dish in the oven at 225°F to stay warm until they're all done.
Notes
NOTE 1: I like to have a craggy top on my polenta to up the crunch factor. If you want both sides smooth, cool the polenta for 15 minutes, then top with plastic wrap and press to smooth and seal.
NOTE 2: Using a light-colored pan to make the browned butter will help you see when it's darkened. It's ok if this is a different pan than the one you fry the polenta in.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main dish, appetizer
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Italian
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