Polenta Fries
These tender-inside, crispy-outside fries make a great side dish or gluten-free appetizer. Crisp them up in your oven or air fryer!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup coarse cornmeal or polenta (160 g)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Salt
- Freshly-ground black pepper
- Grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)
- Fresh chopped parsley, to serve (optional)
- Marinara Sauce, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Cook polenta. Bring water or broth to a boil with salt. Add in garlic and Italian seasoning. Once boiling, whisk in cornmeal. Lower heat to low and cook polenta, stirring frequently, until thick and smooth, about 8 minutes.
- Set polenta. Grease a 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking dish with olive oil. Pour in the hot polenta and spread it into an even layer. Cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge, uncovered, at least 1 hour, or until completely firm.
- Slice into fries. Once set, slice the polenta in half, and then slice each half into 12 to 14 1/4-inch thick batons or fries.
- Get ready to bake. Preheat oven to 425°F. If your oven has the convection setting, use it. There is no need to adjust the cooking time or temperature. Otherwise, proceed using the bake setting. While the oven comes to temperature, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly place fries on the baking sheet, leaving space between each one.
- Crisp the fries. Drizzle the fries with olive oil and use a pastry brush to apply it evenly to each fry. Sprinkle them with garlic powder and paprika and a good pinch each of salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Bake, flipping fries gently after 15 minutes, until crispy and golden, 25 to 35 minutes. If using the convection bake setting, they will crisp faster.
- Finish and serve. Carefully pile the fries onto a serving plate, sprinkle with grated parmesan and fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately while still hot and crisp with marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- To Use Air Fryer: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Arrange oiled, seasoned fries in a single layer (cook in batches if needed). Air fry 8 to 10 minutes, then flip and air fry an additional 8 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden and crispy.
- To Deep Fry: If you have a deep fryer, you can absolutely fry these instead of baking them! Plan to fry them in batches at 350°F for about 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 212.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.3g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 7.5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.2g | Sodium: 589.7mg | Potassium: 65.9mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 151IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 11.4mg | Iron: 0.6mg
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