I love beets and this is a simple, delicious and nutritious addition to a meal that utilizes the whole beet.

Roasted Beets with Sautéd Beet Greens

Ingredients:

6 to 8 small beets with greens attached
Almond or walnut oil for roasting beets
Butter for sautéing greens
Shallots, thinly sliced
Garlic, minced
White Balsamic Vinegar
1tsp maple syrup (optional)
Coarse salt or sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Use glass baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not roast on aluminum foil!

Wash, rinse, and drain until all traces of garden soil are removed from the beets and their leaves (use a small vegetable brush if needed), leaving the skin intact. Cut off the leaves, leaving about 1 inch of green on each beet; use red stems as they add a different texture to the dish. Set the beet greens aside to use later in the recipe.

Cut each beet in half and then cut the two halves in half, leaving a little green on the top of each wedge. Place the beets on the prepared baking pan.

Drizzle almond oil over the beets and toss to coat well. Dot each beet with a little butter and then sprinkle some salt and pepper over them. Place in the oven and roast until the beets are soft and well caramelized, approximately 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets. Let cool. Chop into bite size pieces.

While beets are cooling, heat a little butter in a sauté pan, add garlic, shallots and roughly chopped beet leaves (greens) and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and maple syrup. Sauté another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add roasted beets to the sautéed beet greens tossed together.

Makes 3 to 4 servings