Parmesan Polenta Slice with Sweet Potato and Feta
An easy and flavoursome savoury slice that you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Toddler friendly too.
This is an easy recipe I’ve been making lately for the three of us as my daughter transitions to family food. I alternate ingredients but mostly the sweet potato and feta combination has stuck. We serve this delicious Parmesan Polenta Slice with left over tomato sauce (after I’ve made a lasagna for example), and as a breakfast dish we add a poached egg on top and some avocado. It involves a little bit of effort (baking the sweet potato and making the polenta) but this Parmesan Polenta Slice is simple to whip up and lasts for several meals.
Parmesan Polenta Slice with Sweet Potato and Feta
Makes four to six adult servings
100g soft goats cheese (like Meredith Dairy)
220g sweet potato, washed, peeled and chopped into small pieces (each the size of a die)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups of water (750ml) or chicken/veggie stock
3/4 cup polenta
1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, finely grated
Extra olive oil for frying
Pre-heat your oven to 200° conventional heat
In an oven proof dish roughly 20.5cm x 20.5cm and 4.5cm deep, place the chopped sweet potato. Drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil and mix through with a spoon
Once the oven has heated to the right temperature, place the oven proof dish with the sweet potato to roast for 30 minutes (uncovered)
At the thirty minute mark, use a fork or tooth pick to check that the sweet potato has cooked through then remove the dish from the oven to cool. If not cooked, leave to roast until the sweet potato is tender
In the meantime, pour the water or stock into a medium sized saucepan on medium to high heat and bring to the boil. While the water is boiling, set aside the Parmigiano or Grana Padano, as well as the Feta
Once the water or stock begins to boil, lower the heat to medium and pour in the polenta. Using a wooden spoon, start to stir the polenta at a consistent pace – you will need to do this for five to ten minutes or until the polenta has thickened. You’ll know when this is the case because the polenta will have a lot more resistance to it when you stir. At this point, remove the polenta from the heat and add the Parmigiano or Grana Padano and stir through until mixed well – set aside for a moment
Now crumble the feta over the cooled sweet potato in the same ovenproof dish and pour the parmesan polenta mixture over it. Pour into the centre of the dish and use the back of the wooden spoon to spread the polenta out evenly across the dish so it’s smooth and level. Leave the polenta dish to cool, and once at room temperature, cover it and place it in the fridge between 30 -45 minutes
Before you’d like to serve the polenta, remove it from the fridge so it’s room temperature, and heat a non-stick pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil on medium to high heat. Cut the polenta into serving pieces and fry the pieces until golden brown on both sides (about 5 – 6 minutes each side). Note: the crispier you fry it the more delicious!
Serve the Parmesan Polenta slices with some pasta style tomato sauce on top or as is with a salad on the side. For breakfast, add a poached egg on top and some avocado on the side
Serving: The polenta can be served with a salad or a simple tomato sauce that you would serve with a pasta. For breakfast you can add bacon or a poached egg or even some avocado and smoked salmon slices. For toddlers or babies, allow the polenta to cool down after frying and cut the polenta into fingers or cubes to serve
Notes: The bottom layer of this dish is ingredient heavy, so when frying start by frying the top side first, then the sweet potato and feta side. Be gentle when lifting the latter side out of the oven proof dish or when flipping sides in the pan to prevent the sweet potato and feta from crumbling
