Sweet Potato and Smoked Gouda Grits

My parents both grew up in the south, and I have spent more years on the south east than anywhere else, so despite currently calling Kansas City my home base, this girl is still pretty southern.

Therefore, to claim the southeast as home, and not have a grits recipe on my blog, is probably a sin. Just guessing, but probably.

I watched my great aunt make cheese grits a few summers ago. She threw in an absurd amount of butter, copious amounts of cheese, and several eggs. I was watching in horror, mentally calculating the amount of fat and calories in this beloved side dish, something that probably could have been rich and flavorful with half of the ingredients she was using. However, as she explained to me, cheese grits used to be a meal during the depression that was designed to sustain you for hours. More often than not, that bowl of grits may be all someone ate in a day, so it was intentionally full of calories and fat.

Today, we often do not need, or want, such high calorie and fat packed side dishes in almost any setting. Therefore, I am keeping true to my southern roots by posting a cheese grits recipe, but have taken my own liberty to eliminate much of the unnecessary butter/fat/calories found in my great aunt’s recipe.

Hold onto your pants, because these grits might just be your new best friend. I know I am biased towards all things sweet potatoes, but daaaang this dish is delicious!

Give it a try! You will never have loved a comfort food so much! And while you enjoy your grits, why not take a second to be grateful for those who came before us.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup dry instant grits
8 ounces Smoked Gouda, shredded
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.
Rinse the sweet potato and wrap in a layer of aluminum foil. Place the potato directly on the oven rack and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool enough to be handled, then remove the potato from the skin, transfer the meat into a large bowl, and mash.
Cook the grits as instructed- heating 3 cups of water until boiling, adding the grits to the pot, reducing the heat to low, and allowing to simmer for five minutes.
Once the grits are cooked, turn the heat off, and stir in the mashed potato and shredded Gouda until smooth and creamy.
Serve warm and enjoy!