Good cooks never discard the nutritious beet greens. Here, the greens are combined with roasted beets, capers and feta in a Greek-inspired salad. Offer this before roast leg of lamb with crisp potatoes.
Recipe submitted and photo by Maria Scrivens – GFC Member
Adapted from Epicurious – Bon Appétit | March 1997
INGREDIENTS
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 7 medium-large beets (about 3 inches in diameter) with greens
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped drained capers
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
HOW TO PREPARE
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.
Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Cut beets in half and slice thinly. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in capers and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely.
Transfer greens to medium bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Arrange beets in center of platter. Surround with greens; sprinkle with feta. Drizzle with any remaining dressing.
Beets are not a favorite of mine but I’m trying to like them. I made this recipe and really liked it! I used blue cheese instead of feta, because that is what I had at home. It was my first time having beet greens, too. Very good-I will be making it again,