Beets - Roasted Bottoms & Sauteed Tops

Get a bunch of beets (or 2 or even 3) with the tops. Cut the tops off and put them in a sink full of cold water to rinse and refresh. I’ll get back to them later.

Rinse the beets to remove the dirt. Do not peel the beets or your hands will be very beet colored. Latex or vinyl gloves are an option; just don’t use the powdered kind.

Wrap the beets in foil with salt and pepper to taste and a tablespoon of butter per bunch. Fold up the foil and put the little package either on the ‘Que on Medium or in the oven at 350 degrees.

About 45 minutes later you will have a terrific feed of the best beets ever. Give them the poke test before opening to make sure they are done. Stab each beet with a fork and gently scrape the skin off with a spoon. I will guarantee you the best unpickled beets ever and no beet hands.

Cook's Tip: As you may have noticed, I am not a measurer of ingredients kind of girl when cooking. In baking however, it being an exact science, I measure carefully and have found that a lot of substitutions don’t work.


Now to the beet tops. Drain them in a colander but do not pat dry. In a skillet melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of oil. Add either half a cup of garlic scapes cut into 1" pieces or three large cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Feel free to add more if you prefer a stronger garlic flavour. When you can smell the garlic, start adding the beet greens. Saute for a few minutes; when they are good and wilted they are done. Just add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

This recipe may be used for all the Greens. If you are a meat eater, you may want to add a chopped up slice of bacon or a small piece of well-rinsed chopped up salt pork.

So, get your fresh seasonal produce and don’t worry about experimenting with food. It’ll be fun and taste great.

TTFN
Meg