A Touch of Southern Elegance: Shrimp & Andouille Sausage with Red Pepper over Parmesan Polenta

Taking the turn to comfort foods of the south for today's dish was inspired by a friend of mine who came over for drinks last night. He kept using a fake accent and spoke of New Orleans as though he was getting ready to travel there... in fact, he is headed to New York today as I write this. Regardless, he was entertaining to watch as we all had one or two too many drinks!

Ahhhhh... good times with great friends.

I love Southern comfort foods, and what is more Southern than shrimp and grits? Taking a simplistic approach to making this dish makes it even more comforting... on your waistline! The fact that this dish only incorporates a few ingredients and is quick to get to the table makes this dish a perfect meal to serve when on a restricted time schedule.

Shrimp & Andouille Sausage with Red Pepper over Parmesan Polenta

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced

24 peeled and deveined, large white shrimp

1 red bell pepper, sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 cup instant polenta

2 cups of water

1 1/2  cups of milk

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

4 green onions, sliced, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage and pepper until sausage is browned and pepper starts to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook. covered, until the shrimp are opaque. 3 to 4 minutes more. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook until melted. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to serve.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook, whisking, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add in the milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and parmesan. Serve with the shrimp mixture and sprinkle with the parsley and green onions. 

Presentation tip: To add the little extra flare to the dish's presentation, I left the tails of the shrimp on and skewered them after cooking. I layered the polenta on the bottom, topped with the red pepper and sausage, and garnished with green onion and parsley before placing the skewered shrimp over the top. For extra flavor, use the drippings from the pan you cooked the sausage mixture in and drizzle over the shrimp. Voila! 

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