American corn fritters with bacon and roasted tomatoes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. On a baking tray, drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and season. Put the pancetta or bacon in another baking tray, then put both trays in the oven. Roast for 10-12 minutes, turning the pancetta halfway.
2. To make the fritters, sift the polenta, flour, baking powder and cayenne pepper into a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Beat the egg with the milk, then stir into the dry ingredients with the sweetcorn, red pepper, onions and butter.
3. Half-fill a deep fat fryer or large, heavy-based pan with sunflower oil and heat to 190°C, or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds.
4. Using 1 heaped tbsp batter for each fritter, drop 4 fritters into the oil at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm while you cook the rest. Divide the fritters, tomatoes and bacon between plates, drizzle with maple syrup and serve.