Sauteed Polenta Marisa

I did it! I submitted my recipe and think it turned out really good, too. I talked to my mom and a few friends and we "Minnesota-ized" my favorite polenta with white cheddar cheese and bacon. I wrote out the recipe as I put it all together. I have put together a couple of original recipes like Marisa's Perfect Pot Roast and Alan's Pasta, and I find it so fun and challenging. When I was shopping for ingredients I noticed a cheese in the gourmet cheese section that my mom had given me before called Marisa cheese. I had loved the tang and it is made in the midwest (WI) and given it IS my name, I thought it would be the perfect accent-and it was! Al and I taste tested it last night and then my neighbors, tried it and liked it so I figured I think I am done. Here it is...let me know what you think! If you are wondering about the picture in this post, it was taken at the Viansa Winery in Sonoma. It was the last one we visited and became one of my very favorites.

Sautéed Polenta Marisa-featuring white cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon

1 lb. crumbled hickory smoked Byerly’s bacon
4 tablespoons butter.
½ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 whole shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup half and half
3 cups skim milk
2 cups corn meal
2 cups Bongaard’s (made in MN) white cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup Marisa Cheese (available at Byerly’s) made in WI

1. Cook bacon until nice and crispy. When cool, chop or crumble the bacon and set aside.
2. Heat butter and oil in large sauce pan and add garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, thyme and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add half and half, milk and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to low and slowly add the cornmeal using a whisk to blend. Bring mixture back to a boil and then simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses and bacon crumbles.
5. Pour mixture onto a jelly roll pan and chill in the refrigerator until firm. Another option for a thicker end product would be to pour mixture into an 8x8 cake pan. After polenta is chilled cut it into desired shapes using any style cookie cutter. I usually cut into triangles using a flat pastry cutter, but any style cookie cutter could be used to cut into shapes.
6. Dust each piece lightly with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan until almost smoking. Carefully add polenta pieces to hot oil and sauté 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Add more olive oil to pan as needed.
7. Enjoy immediately.