Brussels Sprouts Polenta Chips

Serves 4-6

I love sprouts, I love polenta – so for me, this is a no-brainer. Not only that, but I once used (a variation of) this recipe – successfully - with a chips-addict nine year old who claimed to “hate all veg – especially greens!”

Polenta is admittedly having a bit of a ‘moment’ over in Foodie World – but it’s so much more than just a fad food / seasonal LBD (in my opinion at least). Please don’t think that because it’s slightly unfamiliar territory (for most of us) it’ll be a pain in the arse ‘to do’; it’s basically a ‘just add boiled water’ kind of affair (though I generally always use stock, for added flavour). Yes, you do have to devote a little extra time giving it a good stir for 5 minutes or so* but hey, think of it as a work-out for your arms. Sourcing it is pretty easy too; most major supermarkets stock it as packs of grains – and some sell it as a ready-made block – usually near the dried pasta and rice (the blocks I’m less fond of – though they’re not too bad when sliced and grilled – paired with a punchy pasta sauce and bit of salad).

Back to the sprouts and call me unorthodox, but I think these would make a lovely starter on Christmas Day – I’d serve them with some red onion marmalade / spicy fruit chutney and a few rocket leaves. [Sigh] – I wish I’d photographed them just like that now…

For a slightly pikier approach mind you, just serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce and tuck in round the telly (very more-ish).

Oh – PS – yes that is red chilli you can see in the pic. Daughter No 1 – who is more chilli crazed than even me – insisted we bung some in with the sprouts…

* though for some reason I find this less necessary with the @merchantgourmet polenta (my preferred brand) – in fact if I’m poking about the kitchen at night, a bit peckish inbetween X Factor ad breaks, I sometimes just chuck some of their polenta in a bit of hot stock (in a jug), stir for a bit (v technical here as you can tell), add a little grated cheese / dried chillies and I’m done…

INGREDIENTS

Approx 15 Brussels sprouts – very finely chopped
Knob of butter
500ml hot veg stock
150g polenta grains (not the ready-made blocks)
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated

METHOD

1. Lightly grease one baking tray. More generously grease another one. Peel the sprouts. Don’t bother finely chopping them by hand – you’re too busy and you know it. Stick them in the food processor and whizz them up – job done in seconds.

2. Melt the butter in a medium sized non-stick pan. Sauté the chopped sprouts for a few minutes. Add the stock and allow it to come to a reasonably fast simmer. Lower the heat and add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, stirring with a wooden spoon.

3. Keep beating the polenta, on the heat, for a good 5 minutes or so. Your arm will ache a bit – sorry about that. It will be like a dry ‘mush’! Add 40g (approx) of the cheese.

4. Pour onto the first baking tray. Use the back of a spoon to pat it down into a sort of oblong shape - after a few moments it’ll be cool enough to use your hands. Aim for a 1cm thickness (approx). Place in the fridge to firm up for an hour or so.

5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the tray from the fridge and cut the polenta into chip shapes. Place these on the second (greased) tray. Sprinkle the remaining 10g cheese over the chips. Bake for 15 minutes – then remove and turn over and bake for another 5.

TIP: Get ahead for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, create these and use all of the cheese at stage 3. Once cooked, store them (covered) back in the fridge – and on Christmas Day simply re-heat by bringing to room temp and then shallow frying in a little oil…this will really crisp them up nicely too.