Polenta frita or crunchy fried polenta crisps: surprising finger food appetizer or creative alternative for fries... you decide!
Pour the stock in a saucepan and place it over high heat until boiling. Then add the polenta cornmeal. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Stir for 2 minutes until the polenta starts to thicken.
Then turn the heat very low and cover the pan. Cook the polenta for 25 minutes. Stir regularly, make sure it doesn't burn. In the end stir in the butter. Season with extra pepper.
Take the pan off the heat and pour the cooked polenta in a glass or ceramic dish. Mine was round but you can choose whatever shape you want. Cover the surface of the polenta with some plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
Let the polenta cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours. Then remove the polenta from its ramekin and slice it into chunks.
Slice the chunks as thin as possible. This is a bit tricky. Make the slices evenly thin, thicker slices will have to grill longer. Thin crisps will stay crisp for much longer. Place the slices of polenta onto an oven rack covered with baking paper. Do this in batches if necessary. Sprinkle the polenta with pepper, salt, paprika… or any type of seasoning you prefer.
Grill the polenta crisps for 13 to 15 minutes until very crisp. Don’t let them burn. Transfer the crisps onto a plate. Serve within 24 hours to keep them crisp.