Roasted Beets & Sauteed Beet Tops

I actually made it to the farmers market this weekend - a feat that is too few and far between these days! The produce stand had lovely bunches of fresh beets for sale.  I've never tried roasting beets myself and thought why not try.  The nice man at the produce stand told me that the beet greens were actually very good as well when sauteed with garlic and olive oil.  That night I roasted the beets up, sauteed the greens and served them alongside some Gorgonzola and pancetta raviolis (also fresh from the farmers market and DIVINE!).  If you have not tried making these purple veggies I would urge you to try, they are sweet, satisfying and good for you!

A word about the beets.  I read that you can first peel the beets and then roast them however the beets I had were quite small and it would have been really difficult to use a peeler on them.  Instead, I wrapped each individually in foil - grouping the smallest together in groups of two - added a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Once they were done roasting, I peeled afterwards which I think was easier than before with the little guys.  Again the peeler was too difficult with the small ones so I ran the knife around the outside and the peel came right off.

Bake the beets in a 400 degree oven for about 25-45 minutes depending on the size of the beets.  When they are tender and soft when poked with a fork, they are ready!

For the tops, make sure you trim the stems off as those are not pleasant to munch through. Wash thoroughly to remove all the dirt.  Heat skillet or pan over medium-high heat.  Add 3 teaspoons chopped garlic, 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Saute the greens until they are wilty and soft.  Season with salt and pepper.  The texture is much like collard greens or kale so the more they cook, the softer they will become.  They also have a bitter taste so are delicious paired with something a bit rich and creamy.

onion and garlic

chopped leaf tops

sauteed tops