I tried grits for the first time when I was on vacation many years ago. They had little packets of instant grits along with the instant oatmeal and cold cereals as part of the hotel breakfast spread. I decided to give them a try and discovered that I quite liked them! Unfortunately, grits are relatively hard to come by in Canada. I kept my eyes peeled for them for years, but never found any. Until about a year ago! When I finally spotted a bag of Bob's Red Mill corn grits. Finally!

To be fair, now that I've tried them properly, they're not all that different from polenta. But I still appreciate having the opportunity to give them a go.

I know shrimp and grits is a classic. But I didn't feel like cooking shrimp for breakfast yesterday morning. So, instead, I opted for some chicken sausages, fried eggs, and a garlic-y kale sauté to top my cheesy grits. And I feel like this worked out pretty well all-in-all.

I think the only change that I'd make next time is to adjust the proportion of cooking liquid slightly. The recipe I had called for cooking 3/4 c. of grits in 3 c. of water. But the package specified a full cup of grits for that amount of liquid. I decided to follow the package instructions, but I think the cookbook may have actually had it right. It's not a huge deal either way. Just something to keep in mind for next time.

Cheesy Grits with Sausage, Kale, and Eggs

Ingredients

• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. grits
• 450g chicken sausages
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 300g kale, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 c. grated cheese

Directions

1. Combine water, salt, and grits and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened.
3. Reduce heat to very low and keep warm while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. Cook the sausages over medium heat.
5. Remove from the pan, allow to cool slightly, and slice. Set aside.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat.
7. Add the garlic and cook until softened.
8. Add the kale and cook until wilted.
9. Stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
10. Fry the eggs in a little butter or lard and season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Stir the milk and cheese into the grits.
12. Dish up a portion of grits and top with some sausage, kale, and an egg.