Here is the only recipe for basic cheese grits you’ll ever need. Distilled to their essence, grits are tender, satisfying, and endlessly versatile. Serve them plain with eggs or meat or dress them up with anything from fresh herbs and country ham to roasted garlic and sautéed mushrooms.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6 to 8

　　3 cups water

　　1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

　　1 cup yellow stone-ground grits

　　1 cup milk

　　1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese

　　4 to 6 tablespoons (1/2 to 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more to taste

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the salt and whisk the grits into the boiling water in a slow, steady stream. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture thickens and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the milk and continue to cook and stir for another 5 minutes, until the grits are tender and reach the desired thickness.

　　

Step 2

Remove the grits from the heat and add the cheese and butter to taste, stirring until both are melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

　　

Know-how: Making Perfectly Cooked Grits

Step 3

For perfectly creamy grits with just a little bite, remove the grits from the heat when they are still a bit thin and loose—just a touch less creamy than you want. They will continue to cook and thicken as they cool. If they become too thick, just stir in a little more milk.

　　

Sara’s Swaps

Step 4

I love the simplicity of this dish, but you can easily dress it up by adding creamy goat cheese, pepper Jack, or blue cheese and stirring in mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, thyme, and rosemary, along with corn or hominy and spinach or watercress for added color and texture. Top it off with crispy bacon or country ham, chopped toasted pecans, or roasted poblano chiles.

　　Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.