LOL! My Irish genes rebel at the thought of passe potatoes!
My husband is not a big fan of polenta, unfortunately, being of Sicilian origin where pasta is the starch of choice. He will eat grits, though, so go figure.
Polenta is a bit bland if not gussied up———some of those meaty pasta sauces served on enriched polenta, with mascarpone and Parm added after cooking, might do the trick for him.
Hubby prefers his polenta with Italian sausages or a very meaty sauce. My favorite is to layer it, lasagne style. Pesto on one layer and sun dried tomatoes on the 2nd are pretty and quite flavorful. Although I ha to confess that putting diced green Chile’s and cheddar between 2 layers is actually my favorite. Don’t tell my Nonna!