Easter Side Recipe: Crispy Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta from Salt Creek Grille – Princeton

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JerseyBites
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Easter polenta recipe

Sponsored

This sponsored story is brought to you by Salt Creek Grille – Princeton.

Wow your guests this Easter with Salt Creek Grille – Princeton’s Executive Chef Wally Weaver’s recipe for a scrumptious side dish. And never fear: if you prefer to leave the cooking to the masters of mesquite, Salt Creek Grille – Princeton is offering a holiday menu from noon to 6 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 21.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients

  • 3 quarts whole milk
  • ½ bunch thyme
  • ½ bunch rosemary
  • 6 cloves plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic, divided
  • ½ pound butter
  • ½ pound mascarpone
  • 1 quart instant polenta
  • 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano plus ½ cup for garnish
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 oz olive oil
  • 5 Italian sausage links, casing removed and meat broken up
  • 5 sun-dried tomatoes, softened if necessary, diced small
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

To Make the Polenta

  1. In a large pot, add the milk, thyme, rosemary, and 6 cloves of minced garlic.
  2. Bring the milk to a boil, turn off and let steep for 15 minutes.
  3. Strain into another large pot and return to the stove.
  4. Add the butter and the mascarpone, whisk until melted and return to a simmer.
  5. Slowly whisk in the polenta in a slow, steady stream.
  6. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and simmer for about 12 minutes or until mixture is smooth and creamy, stirring almost constantly.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.

To Finish

  1. After the polenta is completed and you are keeping it warm, begin the sausage and sun-dried tomato saute.
  2. Heat 1 oz of olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the sausage.  
  3. As the sausage begins to cook, move it around the pan to make small pieces, or “crumbs.”
  4. After 2 minutes, as the sausage browns, add the teaspoon of minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic becomes bronze in color.
  5. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil.  
  6. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning.
  7. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To Serve

Spoon the polenta into the desired serving dish and then spoon the sausage and sun-dried tomatoes on top. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Salt Creek Grille – Princeton
Forrestal Village
1 Rockingham Row
Princeton, NJ
609-419-4200