Today seemed like a good day for sausage. I was also craving polenta and it seems like it may not be polenta weather much longer. I still had a freezer full of goodies from Exotic Meats so I pulled out a package of smoked duck sausage and a package of antelope sausage and invited a few friends over.

I had really high expectations for the duck sausage and was disappointed. It didn’t even taste like duck. Maybe more like an andouille. Plus it had a really thick and tough casing, like a kielbasa. I mean it was good, but not what I was expecting—even though the package was clearly marked “smoked sausage”. I’m going to stick to smoked bacon and eat my sausages unsmoked. The antelope was delicious. Really tender and juicy although it didn’t have as good a flavor as the caribou.

The polenta ended up stealing the show. Zach said he doesn’t even like polenta, as he helped himself to a second scoop. The best thing about this recipe is that it’s easy and produces beautiful, soft polenta with only five minutes of stirring.

Cheesy Soft Polenta (from The Herb Farm Cookbook)

1 tablespoon butter, softened
4.5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup medium ground cornmeal (polenta)
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 tablespoons chopped marjoram
3 cups grated gruyere cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a square baking dish with the softened butter.

2. Bring the water and salt to a boil, then slowly whisk in the polenta. Stir for 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Add the herbs and 1/2 of the cheese and stir to incorporate. Pour mixture into the buttered dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until cheese is melted and bubbling.