My Mom’s Amazing Cheese Grits

If it’s a special occasion in my family, you can bet my mom’s cheese grits will be on the table. They’re a must-have alongside ham and spinach casserole for any holiday brunch, and when I travel from New York to visit her in Louisiana she always makes them for me — holiday or not.

I picked up the tradition of making the Southern cheese grits for special occasions, and friends who tried them at a brunch in New York more than 20 years ago still talk about them. My niece, who is carrying on the tradition at her home in Boston, has also captivated her friends with her grandmother’s cheese grits. “It’s almost always a new food for people here, but it’s always a very popular leftover that people want to take home,” she told me. “There’s nothing else here quite like it.”

When people ask me what makes Mom’s cheese grits so delicious, I tell them that the answer is the same as it is to the question about what makes their favorite restaurant dish so good: You don’t hold back on the salt or the fat. 

For a cup of dry grits, her recipe calls for a stick of butter and a pound of cheese. That’s a good start, but what really makes these grits extra rich and special is the fact that they’re cooked in a combination of water and heavy cream. About 10 years ago I was planning to take the grits to a potluck and emailed my mom with a couple of questions about her recipe. One of the questions was whether I could substitute some leftover half-and-half for the heavy cream. The answer was a flat-out “no”.

The idea of skimping on anything that would make the grits taste as good as they can possibly taste would go against my mom’s South Louisiana approach to cooking — they take good food very seriously down there. And when you’re cooking a special meal for people you love, why would you hold back? 

My other question about the grits was whether I could make them ahead and reheat them the next day at a party. The answer to that question was yes, and at “whatever temperature is convenient.” I love the easiness of that answer — no fussing over inconsequential matters like temperature and timing.

If you make these grits, I advise you to do as my mom would: Use a heavy hand with the butter, cheese, and cream, and if you need to make them ahead just stick them in the oven alongside whatever else you’re cooking. They’re particularly good alongside ham, but are a welcome side with just about any protein. They’re also great for breakfast or brunch — serve them with eggs and bacon or use them as the base for next-level breakfast bowls. The only non-negotiable? Someone to share them with.