Name: Polenta Bites with Wild Mushrooms and Fontina
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 30
Ingredients: 4 pounds prepared polenta, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 30 rounds); 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing; 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter; 2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini, and/or stemmed shiitake), cut into thick slices; 2 shallots, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup Sherry vinegar; 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves; 4 ounces Fontina cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)

A plate of crispy polenta bites with wild mushroom ragout surrounded by ornaments jammy eggs and crostini—classic New...

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog

Active Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes

Store-bought tubes of polenta are the ultimate appetizer shortcut: just slice and toast in the oven, top with sautéed wild mushrooms and a sprinkling of grated Fontina, then bake again until melty and irresistible. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a splash of Sherry vinegar punch up the flavor of the mushrooms.

Ingredients

Makes 30

4 pounds prepared polenta, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 30 rounds)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini, and/or stemmed shiitake), cut into thick slices

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Sherry vinegar

1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves

4 ounces Fontina cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush both sides of polenta slices very lightly with oil and arrange on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast polenta until lightly golden brown and warmed through, about 25 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, melt butter with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and browned, about 12 minutes. Add shallots, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and red pepper and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley.

Step 3

Divide mushroom mixture between baking sheets with polenta. Top with cheese. Continue to roast until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Step 4

Arrange polenta bites on a platter and serve.

Do Ahead

Step 5

Mushroom mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.

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Reviews (18)

Delicious and a big hit! I sliced polenta thinner, per reviews.
- gardengirl
- Santa Rosa, Ca.
- 2/6/2022
This is one of the most delicious hors d'oeuvres I've ever made for New Year's Eve. Highly recommend!
- JM
- Warrenville, IL
- 1/1/2022
I've made these for mezze boards as well as dinner parties, and they are ALWAYS a hit!
- Suléma Marie
- Ithaca, NY
- 12/24/2021
Made as directed but polenta turned out dry and chewy. Wish I had used baguette instead!
- Anonymous
- Salt Lake City, UT
- 12/12/2021
I made these for a "progressive" appetizer party in my apartment building and they turned out really well. The mushroom mixture was absolutely delicious. And what a clever use for those tubes of polenta!
- DLW
- Seattle, WA
- 12/10/2021
Good party appetizer. Everyone liked it. Agree it is best to slice the polenta 1/4" thick. Cooked the slices earlier in the day and that worked out well.
- jsbjk
- Winnetka, IL
- 6/20/2021
This recipe says 4 pounds of polenta....is that right????
- 3601
- oak hill, va
- 9/21/2020
The recipe produces a delicious item with just a tweaking of the spices. Gluten Free is not necessarily a fad, witness the 1% of our population. Yes, there are probably an equal number of claimants, but what the heck? Is it not possible that there is probably something in everyone's life that is not dead-on factual?
- duganmcdermon2
- Chapel Hill NC via Boston via Chapel Hill
- 4/5/2019
Perfect party appetizer...easy and delicious. I followed the advice and sliced polenta thinner. No sherry vinegar, so used red wine vinegar. Everyone loved them. Gluten free is an added benefit, since it works for more diners.
- ljinsanjose
- 12/25/2018
Love this idea, serving it next week! To the reviewer that thinks GF is a fad - you’re wrong! To those with celiac it is a not a fad and not a choice. My friends love it when I serve delicious GF food and desserts. No complaints yet!
- kristi3
- SF, CA
- 12/13/2018
This is really delicious and easy. I really wanted to respond to the comment about serving gluten free to people who do not have a gluten issue. I have no problem with gluten but would not be offended in the least if someone served gluten free anything to me. It's just one tiny appetizer. I highly doubt it will derail anyone's healthy eating plan OR their health for that matter.
- pendp
- San Diego
- 12/10/2018
This dish elicited rave reviews from family and guests alike. I did make the polenta from scratch because why wouldn’t you? It’s so delicious made fresh and so easy. Lacking fontina, I used Parmesan and it was perfect.
- etsmith1
- Vermillion, South Dakota
- 7/7/2018
I made this the other night and got rave reviews from everyone. I'm not a fan of sherry so I used champagne vinegar instead. When I tasted the mushrooms I was worried that the flavor was too sharp. On the polenta, and with the cheese though, it was great. I made the mushrooms a day ahead and it worked out fine. We assembled more leftovers the following night and they were just as good.
- taniahd4256
- San Francisco Bay Area
- 1/8/2018
These were outstanding. We made the mushrooms in advance, which really cut down on prep time. I did skip the parsley because I hate parsley, but the flavor profile was still superb. They were still pretty good the next day as well as leftovers when I reheated the last two in the microwave. When I make this again, I'll cut the polenta thinner and aim for closer to 1/4 inch rounds. I'll also increase the mushrooms because they were so delicious. These were terrific.
- amwgunderson
- Saint Paul, MN
- 12/27/2017
This was delicious and a big hit at the party I brought it to. I would cut the mushrooms a bit smaller so the topping stays on the polenta slices more easily.
- lrblackman
- Providence, RI
- 12/23/2017