Grits with havarti, cheddar, and ramps

These are not your grandma’s cheesy grits, but they are still a fun weekend treat. I love the savory notes of the garlic and ramps balanced against the creaminess of the grits.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• salt (to taste, but I would say, at least 1 1/2 tsp)
• 6 oz. white cheddar, grated
• 6 oz light havarti, grated
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 T greek yogurt
• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 12 oz ramps, trimmed
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 t balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Bring 5 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, whisking often, until thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, milk, butter, cayenne, garlic paste, and season with salt and pepper. Pour grits into an oven safe dish.

2. Heat olive oil in a grill pan. Grill ramps until leaves are wilted and ramps are tender and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

3. Top grits with ramps and bake for 10-15 minutes to get a little bit of a crunchy crisp on the sides and top.