Recipe: Crispy Vegan Baked Polenta Fries

Have you ever tried polenta? It’s an Italian staple made from boiled cornmeal. It can be served in many different ways; as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. You can use Polenta in the place of pasta, rice or potatoes and it can be used as breadcrumbs to coat proteins.

I have to admit that I have only really had polenta in chip form a few times, usually I enjoy it in it’s basic porridge style consistency, it’s a bit like mash potato! I am excited to share this recipe today which will show you how to make these delicious crispy baked polenta fries, and they are vegan to boot!

Ingredients

• Pre-cooked polenta 250g
• Water 1L
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

To prepare the polenta/cornmeal fries, we will start with the polenta/cornmeal,(you need all your polenta/cornmeal ingredients ready to use).

Chop the rosemary and thyme into small pieces and put them aside.

Place a saucepan with vegetable stock on the stove until boil. At this point pour in the polenta/cornmeal and the herbs while stirring constantly with a whisk.

As soon as it has a little consistency, lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 5-10 minutes or until the polenta/cornmeal has reached a fairly solid consistency,(like a purée ) then turn off the heat.

Take a loaf pan and place a sheet of baking paper on the inside. Pour the polenta/cornmeal inside the loaf pan while still hot. Cover with a sheet of baking paper.

Level the surface with a rolling pin or anything similar to make it smooth; let it cool for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator until it is compact.

After the indicated time, start by preheating the oven to 356F-180 C.

Take the loaf pan out of the fridge and turn over the polenta on a cutting board.

Now, with a sharp knife cut the polenta/cornmeal to the desired shape. (you can cut in big chunky sticks, small shoestring fries, small cubes, or any shape with the help of some cookie cutters.)

Take an oven tray and place a baking paper sheet on it. place your fries on the tray and bake for at least 20 minutes or until golden crispy. (make sure to turn around your fries after 10 minutes or when they look golden crispy on top).

Take them out and enjoy while they still hot and crispy.

Top Tip

Polenta fries can be kept in the refrigerator for two days covered with cling film. It is also possible to freeze the polenta chips taking care to place the sticks well spaced on a tray to prevent them from sticking, once frozen they can be transferred to a special freezer bag, to optimise space too!