Sausage Cheese Grits

Last spring, I took my niece Allie to New York City as a thirteenth birthday present. One morning we decided to eat at a brunch buffet. Allie went from hot pan to hot pan searching. “Can I help you find something?” a friendly server asked. “I’m lookin’ for grits,” Allie smiled back. The server made a face like he had just sucked a lemon, “We do not serve grits.” “Well,” Allie looked him square in the eye, “Ya’ll are makin’ a mistake.”

She was right.

Servings: 4 main course or 6 side dishes
Hardware: knife and cutting board, measuring spoons and cups, no powder latex gloves, a large heavy skillet with a lid (preferably cast iron), and a wooden spoon
Time: Prep 5 minutes, cooking 15

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Italian sausage link (¼ pound)
• 1 small onion minced (½ cup)
• 1 small jalapeño
• The seeds and the white ribs of a pepper contain capsaicin, which is the chemical responsible for the heat. So remove these if you prefer less heat. Always seed and chop peppers using gloves.
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup quick grits
• ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 1 tablespoon butter
• S&P

These are slap your mama good!

1. Wash and mince the chives. Set these aside.
2. Mince the onions,the smaller the better.
3. Wearing the gloves, seed and chop the pepper.
4. Heat the oil in the skillet on medium. Remove the sausage from the casing. Put the sausage, onion, and pepper in the skillet. Cook and crumble the sausage, until it’s no longer pink. This should take about 7 minutes. 
5. Stir in the milk and water. When the mixture has begun to boil, slowly stir in the grits.
6. Allow the grits to return to a boil, stirring the whole time.
7. Reduce the grits to low, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir often.
8. Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter, and chives.
9. Salt and pepper to taste.

 Serve immediately. Garnish with more cheese and a sprinkle of chopped chives.