Sausage Ragu with Goat Cheese Polenta

Directions

• Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves  and 1 small yellow onion. Next, cut the length of each sausage to break the casing. Remove the casings and discard. 

• Heat a large sauce pan or dutch oven on medium. Once hot, add 2 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add your sausage meat in bite-sized pieces, leaving a little space between each piece for maximum browning. Let cook until golden brown on one side, then use a wooden spoon to break into smaller pieces. 

• When the sausage is cooked through, push it to one side of the pan leaving a pool of fat on the other. To the fat, add sliced garlic and sliced onion. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and let cook until slightly softened. 

• When your kitchen smells of delicious garlic, add tomato paste and mix it into the onions and garlic first, then throughout the pan, incorporating the sausage. Let that cook until slightly caramelized, about 3-5 minutes. 

• Add cherry tomatoes and continue cooking until they begin to burst. Use the back of your spoon to break the tomatoes and mix their juices into the dish, scraping any fond that's built up on the bottom of the pan. 

• Once all the tomatoes have burst, add 1/4 cup water and 150g washed and chopped greens. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a very light simmer. Let cook while you make your polenta. 

• In a small sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to boil. Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup polenta, breaking up any clumps as you go. Reduce heat to a simmer, season with 1 tsp salt and continue mixing until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the spoon can stand up in the middle of it, about 5 minutes. Mix in 160g goat cheese, taste and adjust seasoning. 

• By now the sausage and tomato sauce should be slightly reduced and thickened. Serve atop the polenta with more goat cheese and a few cracks of black pepper.