Creamy Polenta with Sausages and Roasted Grapes

Easy to prepare, with a lovely combination of flavors. We did not have any of the trouble or issues that others seemed to with the grape stems, however, if I make this again I would go ahead and remove them ahead of time. We prepared our polenta on the stovetop, without additional thyme, and it was perfect.

• zombiemiko

• Atlanta, GA

• 5/6/2013

I'm really suprised. Usually I agree with fellow reviewers when there are flaws with the technique of the dish. For me, if something is likely to go wrong, it will. However, I had none of the problems that the previous reviewers had with this dish. The grape stems gave me no trouble at all. The grapes came off easily and were incredibly delicious. (Since there were so many complaints about this, I'm wondering if it was just a fluke that mine came out well haha) The polenta was tasty and did not make a mess in my microwave. One thing that I will agree with is that the serving size of polenta per person was rather small, so either make more polenta or have a salad beforehand. Overall, I enjoyed it and it was very easy to make. I will be making it again.

• rcihlar

• Houston, TX

• 8/2/2012

I have tried the microwave polenta recipe twice and it is a winner. First time as written and second with Parmesan cheese added. As for the sausage/grape recipe: I have another that only uses grapes and regular sausage that can't be beat. Do not mess with the grape clusters, etc., not worth it.

• weathergrrl

• Broad Run, Va.

• 1/29/2012

I used real sausages and mixed a packaged polenta in a saucepan with a little water, butter and cream. The grape stems were a bit difficult to remove while eating, but I enjoyed the dish regardless.

• amandakw

• boston, ma

• 1/8/2012

I'd give this 2 1/2 forks if that was an option. It made an easy, satisfying weeknight meal. But I agree with previous reviewers that some aspects of the method need improvement. The microwave method of making the polenta created a mess in the microwave--next time I will make it on the stove. The grapes also need removal from the stems. Overall though I liked it, and it has more flavor than a sausage grape pasta recipe I'd found elsewhere on epicurious.

• Anonymous

• Washington, DC

• 1/7/2012

This was a ridiculous dish. What a terrible idea not to recommend that you remove the stems from the grapes before cooking. Cooked, they turned into hard, sharp little sticks that were a pain to remove from piping hot grapes. Also half a cup of polenta provided meager servings for our family of two adults and two kids. I would have increased the polenta to 3/4 cup. I go to epicurious nearly every day for dinner ideas and this was the first dud.

• LexMom

• Manhattan, NY

• 1/4/2012

It was only OK as I made it, but on the plus side, it was quick and very little work:

Polenta [2.5 stars]: I made the polenta on the stovetop, not in the microwave as suggested. I doubled the recipe (1/2 cup for 4 people seems on the mean side to me) and added about 2 tsp of chopped thyme but only 1 tsp of butter. It took about 30 minutes to cook in all and was a pleasant bland foil for the sausage juices.

Sausage and grapes [1.5 stars]. I followed the recipe in everything except that I used mild Italian pork sausages. And it was nice... especially the pan juices ... but nothing special. The sausages were good quality but came out too dry somehow - it would have been better with a blander, more fatty sausage, I think. The roasted grapes were nice (I used the two types of grapes that I had on hand, the larger sized grapes fared better than the smaller grapes which disintegrated somewhat into the gravy). I would not bother leaving the grapes in small clusters next time, the resulting grape twigs were annoying.

• samjbutler

• Los Angeles, CA

• 1/2/2012