As part of our ongoing pesto month series, we decided to go for a healthy take on a very unhealthy meal! Our polenta chips stand in well for the real thing as the texture is almost the same, and the pesto mayonnaise has a great tang to it that allows the chips to really shine.
Making the mayonnaise is so simple, although if you wanted you could go even healthier and make your own from scratch. We of course used our own pesto recipe to go with this one, and if you want to look it up, you will find it at that link. It’s super quick and fun to make, and it’s delicious too. Plus if you have any leftover bits you don’t know what to do with, this is perfect.
Here’s the Vine so you can see us making them in motion:
And here’s the recipe in full:
- 375g Polenta
- 1.5 litres boiling water
- Mayonnaise, to taste
- Home made pesto, to taste
- 2 tbsp (ish) olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Pasta herbs
- Put the polenta into a saucepan over a low heat, add the salt, and slowly whisk in the boiling water
- After around 8 minutes, polenta should be thickening (although it could take longer depending on your variety - be patient!)
- Remove from the heat and stir in the herbs
- Pour onto a baking tray and flatten out as evenly as possible, then leave to cool
- Once cool, brush oil over the surface of the polenta to coat it fully
- Cut into chip shapes and place into the oven at 190C for about 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, add equal amounts of mayonnaise and pesto to a serving dish or ramekin and mix together thoroughly with a spoon
- Serve with one individual ramekin of pesto mayonnaise for each plate of chips. Dip in and enjoy!
- We made far too many chips, and I ended up eating them the next day. After being refrigerated overnight and then reheated in the microwave, they still weren't bad!
- I also forgot to stir in the herbs when I wanted to. As a solution, I mixed them in with the olive oil and spread them across the chips before putting them in the oven. It's not as effective, but it will help.
I love polenta chips but have never tried to make my own as it seemed too complicated – it actually seems pretty easy!
Yep, so much easier than it looks! If I can do it then you can!
After many years of trying I have managed to persuade my husband that we could make do with less meat in our diet, even have the occasional vegetarian meal. I am bookmarking your site and will be trying recipes as everything looks delicious.
Great to hear that Teresa – you will definitely feel the benefits! Let me know if you try them and how they work out!
Probably not the best idea to be reading this at 12.30am as I’m now starving haha!! These look and sound amazing!! I have pinned the post so I can try them sometime. Thanks x
Let me know how it goes if you try them out! Would love to see your pics