Fried grits and fried polenta are nice alternatives to potatoes, rice and pasta.
Since it's just the two of us, I usually make the batch of grits below and then we eat just half of them. I save the remaining for fried grits. If you are fried grits for 4 to 5 people, use this whole batch for fried grits.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
Bring the water with salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the grits.
Cover and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until grits are thick. Remove from heat and keep covered.
Lightly coat the inside of the ramekins with oil or butter.
Pour about ½” of grits into individual ramekins or fill the ramekins with about 1" of grits. (The latter you will cut in half as shown below.)
Using a spatula, smooth the top of each for a flat surface.
Set in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to fry, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator. Drain off any water that may have accumulated on the surface or sides. Run a knife around the inside edge of the container to loosen the grits. Turn each ramekin of grits over onto a papertowel.
If you filled the ramekins, then carefully slice each piece in half crosswise (as shown below).
Top with another papertowel and gently press. Let set while you heat up the skillet.
Place one of the grits pieces on top of the butter and let cook until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side. NOTE: This does tend to splatter, so have a screen ready to cover the skillet.
If your skillet is big enough you can fry all of the grits patties at once. When both sides are nice and crispy brown, transfer to a serving plate.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen