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This crispy polenta recipe with warm gorgonzola sauce is a super easy and updated spin on the ol' french fries and ranch dressing appetizer. The polenta fries are drizzled with honey and served with a creamy gorgonzola sauce. It is a naturally vegetarian and gluten free appetizer. It is a perfect party appetizer that you will watch disappear before your eyes!
This crispy polenta recipe is slightly sweet and crispy on the outside and soft and light on the inside. The gorgonzola sauce is warm and creamy and the tang of the blue cheese is a perfect complement to the subtle sweetness of the fries, plus it is a gluten free recipe, so is perfect for anyone trying to avoid gluten.
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Ingredients
- Firm Polenta- This is made with coarse ground yellow corn meal.
- Olive Oil- Just a little to coat the polenta fries before we bake them. This will help give them the nice crisp outside that we all love.
- Honey-We will drizzle a bit of honey on the polenta fries right as they come out of the oven. Just enough to glaze them with a little sweetness that will be such a good contrast to the salty tanginess of the gorgonzola.
- Gorgonzola-Ahhhh, the gorgonzola. Paired with potatoes or steak, like this Flank Steak Pinwheel it is magical. And paired with polenta, it is magical as well! In this recipe, the gorgonzola adds a blue cheese tang to the creaminess of the cream cheese in the dip.
- Cream Cheese-This will give nice, thick structure to the dip, and mellow out the sharpness of the gorgonzola. And it's cream cheese, so of course it is going to be good!
- Milk-Just a little bit of milk to thin the dip down a little bit. This will make it easy to get a nice big dollop on your fry, and we know that is what we really want!
- Sea Salt and Pepper
What is polenta?
Polenta is an italian dish made from coarsely ground corn meal. Americans can relate to it in very basic terms, as an Italian version of America grits. Polenta is made from coarsely ground yellow corn meal, whereas grits are made from coarsely ground white corn meal.
Polenta is slowly cooked in liquid such as a broth, and can have a variety of additions such as parmesan cheese. It is used a base in place of potatoes, or noodles such as in this recipe for Short Rib Fettuccine.
If you let it cool, it firms up and then can be cut into fry shapes, such as in this recipe.
Which Polenta to use in this recipe
In this recipe for crispy polenta fries, if you'd like to be a little more hands on, you can certainly make your own polenta. It is not hard, it just adds a little more time and resources.
If you don't care about making it all from absolute scratch, and you are able to find a Polenta loaf in your grocery store (or Trader Joe's!), use this. This is my preferred method. I find that the loaf has a denser texture that I love for these fries. I generally only use the dry polenta if I am preparing it like grits, or mashed potatoes. For this recipe, the polenta log is perfect and will make these fries just that much easier!
How to make Firm Polenta
For this firm polenta recipe, start by purchasing a bag of polenta. Bob's Red Mill makes a nice one.
Cook it according to the directions on the package. This is usually adding 1 cup of polenta to 3 cups of boiling water, chicken or veggie stock, and 1 teaspoon of salt. I like using chicken stock because it gives it just a little more flavor. Veggie stock will do the same, and keep it vegan.
Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove it from the heat and cover it for 1-2 minutes to finish completely cooking.
Now spread the polenta into an even layer in a 9x13 pyrex dish, or a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour until it firms up.
Cut it into fries and enjoy!
How to Make the Polenta Fries
If you buy a pre-made loaf or log (two horrible words!!), you will simply need to cut it into fry shapes. I like to keep the fries about 2 inches long, so the dip to fry ratio is good and doesn't require a double dip.
If you prefer steak fries, cut them thicker. If you prefer thinner fries, cut them thinner. Just don't cut them too thin (like shoestring fries) because when they bake, they will get really hard and dense...unless you're into that sort of thing! Then, by all means, shoestring away! โบ๏ธ
Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that they are not touching.
Drizzle them with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Pop in them in a 425ยฐ oven and bake them for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 20 minutes. They should be golden brown with a hard coating.
As soon as you pull them from the oven, drizzle them with honey and toss to coat.
BTW...These are also delicious served with this Hummus, in place of Pita, for a gluten free dipper option!
How to make the Gorgonzola Dip
After you have flipped the Polenta fries and set the timer for the final 20 minutes, go ahead and get started on the gorgonzola sauce.
Start by warming the milk in a saucepan. Add the Cream Cheese and the gorgonzola and stir occasionally while it warms and melts together. Keep the heat no higher than medium. We want the cheeses to gently melt. If the burner is too hot, it will curdle and separate. Even on medium low heat, it will all melt together very quickly.
Season with a little salt and pepper and then turn the burner off and let it sit until the fries come out of the oven.
How to Serve
As soon as the fries come out of the oven, and you have drizzled them with honey, place them on a platter. Spoon the Gorgonzola sauce into a bowl and situate it amongst the fries. Or serve the fries as a side to accompany these ridiculously good Candied Pineapple and Jalapeรฑo Sliders! Serve and watch them disappear!
Other Delicious Sides and Apps
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Gochujang Glaze and Yuzu Aioli- The best new way to eat Brussel sprouts!
- Flank Steak Pinwheels- Serve these polenta fries with this steak for a spin on steak frites!
- Blistered Shishito Peppers- Have you had shishitos? If not, check this recipe out! So easy and delicious!
- Greek Hummus- All the yummy greek flavors piled onto this yummy hummus. A crowd pleaser for sure!
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Toasted Sesame Aioli- These are as pretty as they are tasty! A delicious appetizer or side dish!
- Elote Dip- All the best Mexican flavors thrown into a cast iron and grilled. This is our summer go to- so easy and never boring!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*! โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Crispy Honey Polenta Fries with Warm Gorgonzola Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 18 ounce Tube of polenta, or homemade (see notes)
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ยผ Cup Honey
- Pinch Flaky Sea Salt
Blue Cheese Dip
- 8 ounce Cream Cheese
- 5 ounces Gorgonzola
- ยฝ cup Milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425โ
- Cut the Polenta into fry shapes., about 2 inches long and ยผ-ยฝ inch thick.
- Drizzle the Olive Oil onto the fries and toss them so that fries are evenly coated with oil.
- Spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place them in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, pull them from the oven and flip them over to brown the other side, and then bake them for 20 more minutes until they are golden brown.
- As soon as you pull them from the oven, drizzle them with the honey and toss to coat.
- Transfer them to a serving platter and sprinkle them all with the Maldon sea salt flakes.
- Serve the gorgonzola sauce on the side, or drizzle it over the fries.
- Then stand back and watch it all disappear!
Gorgonzola Sauce
- While your polenta fries are baking, heat a sauce pan on medium heat.
- Add the milk and cream cheese and warm on medium heat. Stir it as it slowly melts.
- Add gorgonzola and continue to stir.
- As soon as all ingredients are melted, turn the heat off but keep it on the burner.
- When the fries are done, serve the sauce on the side, or drizzled over the fries.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- These polenta fries are so good, you may just want to double the recipe! You will have plenty of sauce, so if you would like to, simply double all of the ingredients for the fries, and make the original recipe for the sauce. Yum!
- You can make these fries in your air fryer if you prefer! In this case, skip the tossing them with olive oil step and simply spray them lightly with an olive or vegetable oil spray. Air fryers are all a little different, so fry them according to your fryers instructions.ย
- You may use a different kind of blue cheese if you like, however I use gorgonzola for its slightly more mild flavor and creaminess that melts nicely into the sauce.ย
- If you would like to make your own polenta, simply purchase a bag of Polenta. Bob's Red Mill makes a nice one. Cook it according to the directions which involves adding 1 cup of Polenta to 3 Cups Boiling Water (or Chicken or Veggie) Stock, and 1 Teaspoon salt. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat and cover for 1-2 minutes.
Then, spread the polenta into an even layer in a glass dish. I used a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Cover it and put it in the fridge for an hour or so.
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