Cheesy Polenta with Sausage Gravy

This was a recipe from my mom that looked interesting since Brad and I both really like polenta.  Her original recipe called for the polenta to be cooked in a crockpot, but I forgot to put it on so I just made it the traditional way in a stockpot on the stove.  


Cheesy Polenta with Sausage Gravy
1 lb. pound Italian sausages
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 cups canned peeled Italian plum tomatoes, crushed by squeezing with your hands over a bowl to catch the juice (I just used one big can)
Pinch or two of dried red-pepper flakes
A good palmful of dried Italian seasonings
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked polenta

Cook the sausages in the simmering water in a large, heavy skillet over
medium heat until dry. Prick the sausages with a fork and let them
brown on all sides in their own juices. When browned, remove sausages,cut into slices,
and set aside. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot,
but not smoking, add the chopped onion and cook until soft and brown. Stir in sausage and brown all the way through. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Raise the heat to high and add the crushed tomatoes and the reserved juice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add all seasonings and simmer while polenta cooks. Serve the sausages in the sauce over the polenta.

Cheesy Polenta
(I used some real polenta I found at the store, but it "set up" too firmly so I would use the PIONEER WOMAN'S polenta recipe next time. That's what you'll find here.)
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup (or more) grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add cornmeal to the water in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and extra tablespoons of water as needed. When polenta is done, stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Check seasonings, and add salt to taste.

Family Rating:
Brad: ****
Jordan: ****
Eli: ***
Phoebe: **
Overall Family Rating: 13/20