Polenta Ham and Cheese Stackers

A fun appetizer that has a classy look but a homey flavor. MORE+ LESS-

By The Food in My Beard

September 6, 2017

Ingredients

cups cornmeal

cups milk

cups chicken stock

1/2

lb deli ham, sliced thin

cup cheddar cheese, grated

oz cheddar cheese, sliced into squares

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1

Bring the milk and stock to a simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal. Turn to low and cook for about 35-45 minutes, stirring constantly to form polenta mixture.
2

Line a baking dish with parchment and spoon in 1/3 of the polenta mixture. The polenta will be starting to firm up quickly so make sure you work fast. Spread the polenta out thin. Sprinkle on a light cheese layer, followed by ham, and then a little more cheese. Repeat, creating a middle layer with another 1/3 of polenta. Add cheese, ham, and more cheese, and then top with the final polenta layer. Spread smooth. Top with more parchment and press it down to make it tight. Place in the fridge to rest overnight.
3

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Use a round cookie cutter, empty tin can or anything round and sharp. Quickly and firmly, cut out rounds with the cutter. Place the rounds onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are starting to crisp and brown.
4

Turn the broiler on. Top with the cheese squares and broil for a few minutes until the cheese gets gooey.

1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 0 Fat;

1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Layers of creamy polenta, ham and plenty of cheese make these stackers the ultimate snack. Polenta is a fun alternative to bready appetizers, especially when you're feeding people with gluten allergies. I recently had the idea for these fun stacked polenta ham and cheese bites, but when I first made them, they totally fell apart on me! I made a few tweaks in the recipe and finally got it right. It was totally worth the extra effort because the final outcome was fantastic! One important step in making these right is making sure to fully cook the polenta. Sometimes when I'm making polenta I only cook it about half the time to retain a little more texture, but when you want it to be nice and firm, you have to cook it for the full 45 minutes. When you taste the polenta it'll be super creamy and not have that gritty texture anymore. Make these tasty snacks and you'll never look at ham and cheese the same way again!