The perfect use for leftover polenta or you can easily make them from scratch. I like to serve mine with a simple cheese sauce!
Ingredients
1cupcoarse corn meal
1teaspoonkosher salt
4-5cupswater
¼cupolive oil
Kosher salt
Chili pepper
Quick Queso dip:
1tablespoonbutter
1tablespoonall-purpose flour
1cupwarm milk
6ouncescheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For polenta:
Bring water to a simmer in a large pot with salt. Once simmering, whisk in corn meal.
Cook polenta, stirring regularly over low heat, until polenta is thick and has a soft bite to it. You might need to add a bit more water if it gets too thick. It should take 15-20 minutes to cook.
Let polenta cool for a minute and then pour polenta out onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Spread polenta out into a thin (1/4-inch thick) layer. Chill for at least an hour or overnight until polenta is completely set up.
For fries:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut chilled polenta into long fries, about 2-3 inches long. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little room between each fry. Drizzle fries well with olive oil and season with salt and chili powder.
Bake fries for 20 minutes, then flip, and bake for another 20 minutes. You can keep baking these if you want them even crispier. It’s hard to over-cook them!
For Queso:
Melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for a few minutes until the roux turns a tan color.
Whisk in milk slowly until mixture is like a light gravy. Then whisk in grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper and keep queso warm over very low heat until fries are done.
Serve polenta fries drizzled with queso or use it as a dip!