Creamy Polenta with Sausages and Roasted Grapes

Bon Appétit (January 2012)

We wanted something fast, easy and fresh for dinner last week. We knew just where to turn: Bon App's "Fast, Easy, Fresh" section. It's a front-of-the-book collection of relatively quick and simple recipes, and it's always good for a little inspiration.

This Creamy Polenta with Sausages and Roasted Grapes sounded perfect -- hearty and comforting, with the roasted grapes adding a fun twist.

The biggest "innovation" here is microwaving the polenta. Bon Appétit says it "puts an end to nonstop stirring." We suppose. Honestly, we don't think polenta is all that time-consuming or labor-intensive to begin with. (It's not like we're talking about risotto.) Microwaving does cut out some of the stirring and minding of the pot, but we also felt like the finished product was a little stiffer and gummier than it would have been had we made it on the stove. So microwave at your own peril. 

We have a few other minor tweaks for this recipe:

• A thyme sprig gets placed in the polenta before it is microwaved. We suggest fishing it out after the polenta is finished, so that your or a guest don't wind up with a mouthful of twig. 

• While keeping grapes on the stem makes for a striking presentation on the plate, it's exceedingly difficult to eat. We recommend removing the stems for this preparation, or at least removing most of the stems. 

• We used chicken sausages and found that when they were placed in a hot, dry pan, they had trouble browning. To fix this, we put a thin coating of olive oil in the pan and the sausages browned very nicely. 

So, yeah, we didn't fall in love with this dish. It's perfectly fine, and all the components are good. But it just didn't come together in a way that wowed us. 

The good news is that the one aspect of the dish that really attracted us -- the roasted grapes -- was a real hit. We've only really experimented with cooking grapes in a savory dish once before, in a Braised Chicken with Gewürztraminer and Grapes. But we need to do it more often. Roasted or braised grapes are a delicious pairing with savory meats like chicken, pork or even duck. 

 

Creamy Polenta with Sausages and Roasted Grapes
Bon Appétit (January 2012)
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Nutritional Information Available at BonAppetit.com 

(This photo: Bon Appétit)

4 Servings
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Notes From Zach and Clay of TheBittenWord.com:

• A thyme sprig gets placed in the polenta before it is microwaved. We suggest fishing it out after the polenta is finished, so that your or a guest don't get served it. 
• Though grapes with the stem-on make a striking presentation on the plate, it makes it exceedingly difficult to eat. We recommend removing the stems for this preparation, or at least removing most of the stems. 
• We used chicken sausages and found that when they were placed in a hot, dry pan, they had trouble browning. To fix this, we put a thin coating of olive oil in the pan and the sausages browned very nicely. 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup medium-grind polenta (not instant)
3 large sprigs thyme, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 pound fresh hot or sweet Italian turkey or chicken sausages
1/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 pound seedless red grapes, cut into bunches with stems attached
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/3 cup dry white wine
Flat-leaf parsley leaves

DIRECTION

Preheat oven to 450°. Stir polenta and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium microwave-safe bowl; add 1 thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a plate. Microwave for 4 minutes. Carefully remove plate and whisk polenta. Cover and microwave for 4 minutes longer. Repeat until polenta is soft, adding more water by 1/4-cupfuls if too thick, 10–12 minutes total, depending on strength of microwave. Stir in butter.

Season to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and fry until browned, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add broth, remaining 2 thyme sprigs, grapes, and shallots to skillet; transfer to oven. Roast, turning grapes and sausages halfway through cooking time, until grapes begin to caramelize and sausages are cooked through and begin to burst, 12–15 minutes.

Spoon polenta into wide, shallow bowls. Arrange sausages and grapes over. Add wine to skillet; stir over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Drizzle pan sauce over sausages. Sprinkle with parsley.