Give Me Five: Polenta chips with avocado dip

I’ve never been particularly enamoured with polenta, the Italian porridge made from ground cornmeal. I’ve tried it soft and smooth with a rich beef stew, set and grilled in wedges, and fried in chips. It’s no potato substitute and doesn’t compare to a creamy bowl of mash.

Recently, however, I needed to create some hot finger food to satisfy my little boys and discovered polenta in my cupboard. I flavoured it with Parmesan and a little bouillon, and it was delicious. It was a huge hit with the toddlers too.

The key to keeping the chips crunchy and crisp is to place them on a rack over kitchen paper as soon as they are cooked and then serve as fast as possible. The nutty Parmesan is a great addition; any mature hard cheese can be used. A few pinches of dried chilli flakes or some finely chopped herbs such as thyme or rosemary can add further flavour.

I used De Cecco Instant Polenta; this is an Italian brand that is widely available. As a general rule, use one part polenta to three parts liquid. I’ve recently discovered Irish-made Dr Coy’s Vegetable Bouillon and have been adding it to many things. It’s an organic blend of dried vegetables and herbs and is yeast- and GM-free. It makes a tasty broth on its own, or add two teaspoons of it to this recipe for even more flavour. Just remember to taste the polenta before adding more seasoning as it probably won’t need extra salt. Some recipes suggest using milk in place of the water or adding some butter for that distinctive rich creaminess you get only from dairy.

Polenta can be convenient to prepare, as long as you plan in advance. I sometimes make up the polenta mix – it only takes 10 minutes – and then leave it in the fridge overnight. The following day it can be cut into chips and fried in minutes, creating the quickest chips ever. I use the quick-cook polenta here. It’s sometimes considered inferior to the unprocessed polenta that demands almost an hour of constant stirring. The quick cook variety is perfect in this instance, however, as we will go on to fry it and create polenta fritta.

I’ve suggested serving these chips with an avocado dip to provide a nutritional balance. It also tastes great and the smooth, cooling dip is perfect with the hot, crispy chips. Sour cream can be used in place of yoghurt. A tomato-based dip such as salsa, or a tomato stew such as ratatouille, would also be good. I love caponata, a Sicilian aubergine stew; it’s an ideal accompaniment to these polenta chips too.

POLENTA CHIPS WITH AVOCADO DIP: SERVES 4

The five ingredients

• 275g quick-cook polenta
• 85g Parmesan, grated
• 2 avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2tbs yogurt

From the pantry

• 1 litre sunflower or vegetable oil for frying
• Stock or bouillon powder (optional)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

Grease a baking tray or Swiss roll tin with olive oil.

Place the polenta in a medium-sized saucepan and slowly add 900ml of boiling water or stock. Stir constantly as you pour in the liquid so there are no lumps. Place on a medium heat and stir constantly for about eight minutes, until it thickens and comes away from the side of the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan. Season to taste. Pour into the tin and smooth over the surface until flat. Leave to cool at room temperature and then leave to firm up further in the fridge. From start to finish it should be ready in about an hour.

Meanwhile blitz the avocados, lime juice, yoghurt and a pinch of salt until creamy and smooth. Cover and set aside.

Once the polenta is firm, tip out on to a flat surface and cut into chips.

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium pot (test to see that it has come up to heat by adding a bread cube and checking that it sizzles).

Add a handful of chips at a time; don’t overcrowd the pan. Each batch only needs five to eight minutes until golden and crispy. Tip the chips on to a wire rack over kitchen paper. This the best way to keep them crisp and avoid sogginess. Repeat with the remaining chips.

Serve immediately with the avocado dip and another sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

• Every Thursday we'll tweet the five ingredients from @lillyhiggins and @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes