Appetizer Recipe: Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta Bites

I’m guilty of always reaching for the same appetizers when having friends or family over: good olives, flatbreads, interesting cheeses, and rosemary nuts. If you’ve been to our house for drinks or dinner, this likely sounds pretty familiar. The reason for the repetition is ease, but what if there were a creamy, lightly fried bite of polenta that was just as simple? An appetizer that would trump olives and nuts any day of the week?

I prepare polenta a number of ways at home, usually preferring a simple creamy version made with part milk and part water and cooked slowly on the stovetop. We serve it with saucy tomatoes or meat ragu, or alongside a substantial green salad for a lighter dinner.

These little appetizers add another option: they begin in much the same way that stovetop polenta does, but you then layer them into a small pan and allow to cool. When the polenta has cooled completely, this once-creamy dish is firm and sliceable, and you quickly coat the small squares in panko bread crumbs and pan-fry them.

While fresh herbs would be wonderful in these, I use dried herbs because we always have them on hand regardless of the season. You’ll see flecks of them in the polenta itself, and I fold in additional chives into the panko to give them an extra pop of color on the plate. In terms of serving, these don’t need much for accompaniment. I have had them with a dollop of romesco sauce (see below), but truthfully, I prefer them plain. Anything too complex simply detracts from the creamy goat cheese, thyme, and chive-flecked polenta. Sometimes simple is the very best option. And now I have a new reason to leave the crackers and cheese plate behind for good. Or at least for a little while.