Made right, beets can be beyond delicious. Some sugar comes from beets so they've got to be good, right? (But plopped out of the can they are not so delicious). A month or so ago when the LeGette's at Lazy Willow Farm told me they were growing beets I got so excited. I couldn't wait to surprise Reid with them and was already trying to figure out what I could bargain for them. I was lucky enough to get some of the second batch of beets they pulled. (The first batch they thinned out went to their lucky goats). The beets were still small but the leaves are just as good which I added to some soup.
I usually roast them (recipe follows) but last week with our beets from the market I tried something new. We had thawed out some of Tink's ground beef to make burgers and there was some beef fat left in the pan. I decided to make "scalloped beets" so I peeled and thinly sliced them. I added those along with some arugula to the pan and let them cook down. Then a little flour, grass fed milk and blue cheese. Although it looked pretty horrible (blue cheese + pink creamy sauce=not appetizing), it tasted pretty awesome. (I sent the leftovers with Reid to work the next day and he said he got a lot of questions about what the heck he was eating). So although I would probably never make this recipe for a meal night, it does show you they can be a versatile vegetable.
But this is how I usually cook beets which is super easy and always turns out:
Ingredients:
Fresh beets (preferably with leaves on)
Walnut oil (or olive oil but walnut really adds more flavor)
Fresh thyme (or any fresh or dried herb-but stick with just one)
Coarsely ground sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice beet root away from leaves. Peel and cut into quarters or eighths depending on the size of the beet. Arrange on baking tray and drizzle with oil, add a tiny bit of sea salt and black pepper to taste. Top with fresh thyme. Toss together and put in oven for 20-30 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
For the beet leaves, you can chop these up and cook them as well. Add about 2 Tbsp walnut or olive oil along with the zest of an orange and a minced garlic clove in a skillet. Heat slightly to crisp the zest a little then add the beet leaves. Meanwhile, peel and chop the orange and add the fruit to the skillet as well. When the leaves are cooked down slightly (but not totally dead), remove from heat.
Enjoy!
