Stir Up Supper
5:33PM February 7, 2013

Stir Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Creamy Cheesy Yellow Grits with Roast Brussel Sprouts and Sausage

 

Recipe from Sanura Weathers of "My Life Runs On Food" blog: http://blog.sanuraweathers.com and Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby

(Warning: Go check out this blog and your mouth will water! She's a brilliant chef!)

 

Ingredients:

Olive oil or butter; as needed

Sea salt and fresh black pepper; as needed

Crushed red pepper; optional and as needed

1 lb. fresh brussel sprouts; quartered (Note 1)

1 cup diced fennel (Note 2)

1 cup diced yellow onion

Sausage (turkey, chicken or pork); vertically cut in half

1 recipe for Creamy Cheesy Yellow Grits (recipe below)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

 

Lightly toss olive oil, salt, pepper, brussel sprouts, fennel and onions over the baking sheet. 

 

Place in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft and slightly caramelize brown. Set aside.

 

Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place sausage cut side down in the skillet. When the bottom is brown, flip sausage over. When the sausage starts curling, remove from the skillet. Place on a paper towel lined plate. Horizontally slice sausages. Set aside.

 

Spoon Creamy Cheesy Grits (see recipe below) into individual bowls. Top with roast vegetables and sausage.

Sprinkle more black pepper and salt (watch the salt content, because the sausages could be salty).

 

Notes:

1. I prefer my brussels halved rather than quartered. They don't fall apart so easily and make for a better presentation (if you ask me.)

 

2. Fennel - if you haven't ever chopped fennel before, take one minute and 16 seconds to watch Jim Davis. He makes a potentially perplexing veggie quite simple to chop in his video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j76-xHiyrdM

 

Creamy Cheesy Yellow Grits

 

Ingredients:

2-cups water

2-cups whole milk (Note 1)

1-cup stone-ground yellow or white grits (Note 2)

Sea salt and fresh black pepper; as needed

Crushed red pepper; as needed

(Optional) A pinch of smoked paprika

½ cup sharp, white cheddar cheese

1/8-cup fresh, organic cream; more or less

Optional: butter or olive oil

 

Directions:

Bring water and milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Do not boil.

 

Place grits in a bowl. Fill with water. Gently swirl the water. After the water settles, skim the surface of the chaff (the tiny, lightweight pieces floating to the surface). Strain the grits in a fine mesh sieve. (Note 3)

 

Gently add the grits to the simmering water and milk mixture. Stir in salt, peppers and smoked paprika.

 

Frequently stir the grits, making sure to scrape the bottom. 

 

Depending on the brand, stone-ground grits are ready after 20 minutes, but they become softer when cooked up to 1 hour. 

 

Add a little more water and/or milk, if grits become a little to dry.

 

When the grits are tender to bite, stir in the cheese and cream.

 

Stir in butter or olive oil.

 

Notes:

1. When a recipe calls for whole milk, I try to be mindful of the size container that I purchase. I look for the smallest size because we are not typically whole milk drinkers. My biggest pet peeve is wasted food in my fridge!  

 

2. Stone ground grits will be BEST with this recipe. Quick grits could be an acceptable substitute if you are pressed for time, but don't use instant grits.

 

3. This process is to clean your grits… the water referenced should not be confused with the water in your ingredient list. If you don't have a fancy "sieve" in your kitchen, you can use a fine metal mesh screen colander.

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn