Author Notes: Between our CSA and garden, we found ourselves up to our eyeballs in beets a few summers ago. I concocted this dish as an homage to a simple French peasant dinner. When I explained the concept to my husband, he riduculed me, “What peasants eat boucheron and drink Muscadet with their beets?” “Um, French ones?” – Amy_N-B —Amy_N-B
Food52 Review: In our next life, we’d like to be French peasants, or at least, eat like them. We have a soft spot for beet recipes that utilize both the sweet root and minerally tops. Here, Amy_N-B has you caramelize slices of yellow and red beets (we used 4 large beets total; might do 3 next time) and then add a mix of beet tops and Swiss chard, cooking them just enough to wilt. You’ll love the dish at this point, but you’ll be riveted if you serve it with oozy boucheron and good country bread. —The Editors
Serves: 2 for dinner, 4 as a side
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients
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4
Beets with greens (up to 6; I like a mixture of golden and red beets)
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1
bunch Swiss chard
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3
tablespoons butter
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1
shallot
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1
pinch Salt, or more to taste
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1
pinch Freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
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2
tablespoons white wine (Muscadet is my preference)
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2
tablespoons water
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1/2
pound Bucheron Cheese (room temperature)
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1
loaf crusty peasant style bread (warmed in oven
Directions
- Scrub and peel the beets. Remove the greens and chop coarsely. Set the greens aside in a large prep bowl. Slice beets into 1/4 inch rounds.
- Remove the ribs from the swiss chard and coarsely chop and toss into bowl with the beet greens.
- In a large sautee pan, melt butter. Sautee shallots.
- Add beet rounds to the shallot butter mixture. Crack some pepper over the beets and a toss on a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and sautee beets, turning over to ensure even cooking.
- About 15 minutes later when beets are begnning to glaze and become tender, add greens and chard. Sautee for about 5 minutes, then add wine and cover. Cook until greens are wilted, adding water if necessary. Allow liquid to be mostly absorbed into greens, adjust seasonings.
- Scoop greens and beets into a low shallow bowl. Garnish with a sizeable wedge of bucheron and some crusty bread. Crack a little bit of pepper over the entire dish.
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Amanda scrubs a beet with her nifty hand-held scrubber.
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Beets waiting at the bus stop.
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Swiss chard taking a bath.
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Merrill gives it a good swish to release any grit clinging to the leaves.
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Merrill always cooks wearing this loving expression.
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Merrill chops leaves. Amanda slices beets. And a ghost minces the shallot.
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Shallot happily bubbling in butter.
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Now you stay on your side and we'll stay on ours!
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The yellow beets inevitably get stained pink from the red beets.
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When the beets are caramelized and cooked through, you start adding the greens. You may need to do this in batches if the greens are bountiful.
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You cook the greens for a few minutes, turning them often so they wilt evenly.
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Then you add a little white wine and cover the pan. And if you don't have a proper lid, a baking sheet does the trick!
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