Make this: Jalapeno Grit Cakes

There was a restaurant in Knoxville I loved called Green Hills Grill. It has since closed but I will be forever thinking about their Jalapeno Grit Cakes. They were crisp, spicy, and delicious. 

I was feeling adventurous and tried to replicate them the other night:

(Pictured with a spinach and garlic butter pinwheel steak from Target - very tasty and not expensive, plus so easy to cook)

The grit cakes were sort of a creation in my head and they turned out quite well. I found the trick was getting the oil very hot in the pan and letting them sit and cook for longer than you think they need to. 

You need:
Instant grits
Water
S/P
Cheese
Garlic
Jalapenos
Oil (to fry)

1) Make instant grits in a pot. Follow instructions on can. 
2) Add cheese, garlic, and jalapenos and stir until melted
3) Pour grits into square small baking pan, put in fridge to cool
4) Once cooled, cut into squares
5) Heat oil in frying pan
6) Put grit squares into hot oil, let sit for a while on each side, flip


I thought this was a fun, different side dish and was proud of what I created. Maybe you'll like them too!

PS - verdict on comparison to Green Hills Grill? They must have put theirs in a fryer because they were able to get theirs crisp all the way around. I might try that some time.