Chef Ally
Artichokes Braised in Olive Oil
Tender baby artichokes surrendered to good olive oil, garlic, and lemon, cooked low and slow until the leaves soften and the hearts turn silky. A dish that asks you to slow down.
Culinary Explorer
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Wood-Fired Beets with Their Greens
Created by
Earthy beets roasted until their sugars concentrate and caramelize, reunited on the plate with their own greens, wilted simply with garlic and finished with good olive oil and a bright squeeze of lemon.
Side Dishes
California
Dinner Party
Potluck
Make Ahead
20 min
Active Time
1 hr cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield6 servings
Buy beets with their greens still attached. This is how you know they are fresh. The leaves should look alive, not wilted or yellowed or sad. When you find beets like this at the market, you are buying two vegetables in one: the sweet, earthy root and the mineral-rich greens that taste like a cross between chard and spinach.
Roasting transforms beets. The dry heat concentrates their natural sugars until they caramelize at the edges, and the flesh turns tender and almost creamy. If you have access to a wood-fired oven or can nestle them into the coals of a dying fire, all the better. That smoky char adds something a conventional oven cannot replicate.
The greens need almost nothing. A quick sauté with garlic and good olive oil. A splash of vinegar to brighten. The contrast on the plate tells the whole story: root and leaf, slow and fast, sweet and mineral. This is what it means to cook with the whole plant, to waste nothing, to honor what the farmer grew.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small to medium beets
Quantity
3 pounds
with fresh greens attached
extra-virgin olive oil
Quantity
4 tablespoons, divided, plus more for finishing
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly cracked
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
thinly sliced
red pepper flakes
Quantity
pinch
red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
lemon
Quantity
1
for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small to medium beetswith fresh greens attached | 3 pounds |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 4 tablespoons, divided, plus more for finishing |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly cracked | to taste |
| garlicthinly sliced | 4 cloves |
| red pepper flakes | pinch |
| red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar | 1 tablespoon |
| lemonfor finishing | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •Rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with lid
- •Aluminum foil
- •Wide skillet (12-inch)
- •Tongs
Instructions
- 1
Separate and wash the greens
Cut the greens from the beets, leaving about an inch of stem attached to each root. This protects the beet from bleeding during roasting. Wash the greens in several changes of cold water. Soil hides in the ruffled leaves, and grit will ruin the dish. Shake off excess water but do not spin completely dry. The clinging moisture will help them wilt in the pan later.
Save any tender stems. Slice them thin and cook them with the greens. They add texture and remind you that this was one plant. - 2
Prepare the beets for roasting
Scrub the beets gently under running water. Do not peel them. The skin protects the flesh during cooking and slips off easily afterward. Dry them well. Rub each beet with a thin coating of olive oil, about two tablespoons total, and season generously with salt and pepper.
- 3
Roast until tender
Wrap each beet individually in foil, or nestle them together in a covered baking dish. Place in a 400F oven and roast until a paring knife slides through the center without resistance, 45 minutes to one hour depending on size. Small beets the size of golf balls will finish sooner. Large ones take longer. Check them. There is no substitute for paying attention.
If you have access to a wood-fired oven or live coals, nestle the foil-wrapped beets directly in the embers. The smoky heat deepens their earthiness in ways a conventional oven cannot match. - 4
Peel and slice the beets
When the beets are tender, open the foil carefully. Steam will escape. Let them cool just until you can handle them. The skins will slip off under gentle pressure from a paper towel or your fingers. Slice into wedges or thick rounds, whatever shape pleases you. Arrange on a serving platter and keep warm.
- 5
Sauté the greens
Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant and barely golden, about one minute. Watch it. Garlic goes from perfect to bitter in seconds. Add the red pepper flakes, then pile in the greens. They will seem like too much. They are not. Toss with tongs until they wilt and turn glossy, two to three minutes.
- 6
Season and finish
Season the greens with salt and the vinegar. The acid brightens everything. Toss once more and taste. Arrange the greens alongside or on top of the beets. Finish the whole platter with a generous drizzle of your best olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a final pinch of flaky salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef Tips
- •At the farmers' market, look for beets with firm, smooth skin and greens that stand upright with bright color. If the leaves are limp, the beets were harvested too long ago. Move on.
- •Beets come into season twice: spring brings tender young ones, and fall offers the sweetest, most concentrated roots. Both are worth seeking out. Avoid beets in midsummer when quality dips.
- •Do not throw away the beet stems. Slice the tender ones and sauté them with the leaves. The tougher ones can go into vegetable stock.
- •If you end up with beets but no greens, substitute chard or young spinach. The dish will still work, though you will lose the poetry of root meeting leaf.
- •A drizzle of aged balsamic or a crumble of fresh goat cheese makes this substantial enough for a light main course.
Advance Preparation
- •Beets can be roasted up to three days ahead and refrigerated. Peel and slice them cold, then bring to room temperature before serving, or warm gently in a low oven.
- •The greens are best cooked just before serving. They take only minutes and lose their vibrancy if held too long.
- •The whole dish can be served at room temperature, which makes it ideal for a potluck or buffet. Dress with the final olive oil and lemon just before setting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
170 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
390 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
3 g
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