20-Minute Brown Butter, Lemon & Herb Polenta with Poached Eggs — ross cooks things — Ross Yoder

There’s not a word in the English dictionary that can properly summarize the deep love I feel for polenta in general. So, let me just say: I’m obsessed with polenta.

Polenta is one of those dishes that gets a bad rap, likely because boring polenta is as common as it is excruciatingly lackluster. Good polenta — the kind that’s luxuriously creamy without being overly rich — needs a little bit of TLC to become something special, and that’s exactly what this shockingly-easy polenta recipe sets out to do.

What is polenta?

The real question here is: what isn’t polenta? To me, it’s a goes-with-anything side (or base) that you can whip up quickly and easily, and flavor exactly how you wish — add a splash of citrus juice or zest (or good balsamic vinegar) to keep things bright, or load it up with cream and your cheese-of-choice for a decadent, creamy dish. The choice is all yours. In fact, polenta’s staggering versatility is the main reason why I always keep a bag of quick-cooking polenta in my pantry.

Basically, polenta is a cornmeal-based porridge that started as a common meal among farmers in Northern Italy. You’ll be able to find polenta — either the traditional variety or quick-cooking type — at most grocery stores, usually in a box or bag. If you can’t, fear not. Regular ol’ coarse-ground cornmeal will do the trick, just go ahead and give it a quick whiz in your food processor to cut down on cooking time. You can also use regular grits, since they’re basically polenta’s cousin. Polenta and grits are essentially the same, though they’re made from two different types of corn. For that reason, grits tend to be a bit starchier than polenta, and require more frequent stirring while you cook ‘em to avoid any clumping.

How to toast polenta

I’m a strong believer in toasting most grains before you cook them for maximum flavor and nuttiness — think: quinoa, or arborio rice for risotto. Polenta is no exception, which is why I gently toast the dried polenta used in this recipe in brown butter, before adding the half & half and water. Toasting polenta this way is incredibly easy since it’ll literally start popping and crackling when it’s toasted to perfection. Take this simple step, and you’ll be rewarded with polenta that is fragrant and nutty, with incredible depth of flavor.