Eggs in Purgatory with Soft Polenta and Sausage
Source: Jeff Banker, Baker and Banker
Recipe Type: Entrees | Seasons: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter
This recipe was demonstrated for CUESA’s Market to Table program on March 9, 2013.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
Salt
1 cup polenta
4 tablespoons butter
10 sage leaves
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 links Italian sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon chile flakes
1 (24 ounce) jar high-quality tomato sauce (or homemade)
8 eggs
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Bring 4 cups of water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour.
3. When the polenta has finished cooking, brown the butter in a separate pan until golden. Carefully add the sage leaves and fry them until crispy. Strain the brown butter into the polenta. Season the sage leaves with salt and reserve them for garnish.
4. Whisk the Parmesan cheese and a little more salt into the polenta until well combined. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Cover the polenta and keep it warm.
5. Heat a large, ovenproof sauté pan until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sausage and begin to caramelize it. Break the sausage up with a fork into smaller pieces and brown it until fully cooked. Drain off the fat and set the sausage aside on a paper towel.
6. In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil and chile flakes and cook for 20 seconds over medium heat. Add the tomato sauce and bring it to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Crack the eggs carefully into the tomato sauce and season lightly with salt. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes until the whites are set and yolks are still runny. Warm the sausage in the oven for 1 minute to reheat.
7. To serve, place 1 cup polenta in the bottom of a bowl. Carefully place two eggs on top of the polenta. Surround with a little sauce and sprinkle on the cooked sausage. Garnish with the sage leaves and serve immediately.
