Pimiento Cheese Shrimp and Grits And, Oh, Is That Bacon?

Here's the thing about grits that always drives me crazy: They look like they're ready to eat in 5 minutes, yet the recipe says stir them constantly for 10–12. Senior food editor Rick Martinez told me that this is because grits are SUPER starchy, so they thicken very quickly—but they're not ready to eat yet. They'll keep cooking and become tender, creamy, delicious, the only way to tell is to taste. If they're gritty, sandy, grainy in any way, then they're not done yet. So yes, they're called grits, but they shouldn't taste...gritty.
When they're creamy, increase the heat to medium, stir in 1 cup pimiento cheese and 2 tsp. sambal oelek, and keep stirring until it's all mixed together, about 2 minutes. Salt and pepper it up.
While you're somewhere in the grits-making stage, get your bacon going in a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
Time to doctor up that shrimp. In a bowl, mix the shrimp with parsley, 2 tsp. lime juice, bacon, and remaining 2 tsp. sambal oelek—oh right, don't forget salt + pepper. Almost there! Put grits into bowls. Put shrimp on grits. Put spoon into grits...and I think you can figure out the rest.

Ingredients