Recipe Author: Conne Ward Cameron
Was anyone else excited to see beets in our box this week? I’ve missed beets this year and have been hoping we’d see a few before the weather turned too hot. I found the recipe below in the Washington Post – Crispy Smashed Beets with Garlic, Scallions, and Chile. Since I’ve become a big fan of roasting potatoes this way (surely potatoes will be in our boxes soon) and wanted to try the idea with beets. It’s an adaption of a recipe in Gregory Gourdet’s cookbook, “Everyone’s Table” (Harper Wave, 2021). The box has beets, garlic and green onions. All you need is the chile pepper – and that, you can skip and use red pepper flakes instead. Our bunches of beets are big smaller than 2 pounds, but that’s ok. Just cut the recipe down.
Ingredients:
2 pounds small to medium beets (with or without their greens)
12 cloves garlic
2 moderately spicy red chiles, such as Fresnos, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup water
6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup (2 ounces) roasted unsalted cashews, chopped
Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
Preparation:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
If the beets have their greens, cut off the greens from the roots. Trim any dark spots from the top of the beets, trim off their tails, and scrub them well, but do not peel them. (The peel is what gets crispiest in the pan.)
In a Dutch oven or deep skillet with a lid, combine the beet roots with the garlic, chiles, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the sea salt and toss to coat. Pour in the water, cover, and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beets are very tender; a sharp knife or metal skewer should go in with barely any pressure.
While the beets are roasting, wash and dry the leaves and stems (if using), stack them, roll them up like a cigar and thinly slice.
Set out a stain-resistant cutting board, or line one with parchment paper. When the beets are tender, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the board, and reserve the garlic and chiles. Let the beets cool until you can handle them but they’re still warm, 5 to 10 minutes. Using a small plate, gently crush the beets, one by one, to a relatively even thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Try to keep them mostly in one piece.
In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil until it shimmers. Working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding, cook the beets until charred and crisp at the edges, about 3 minutes per side. (It’s okay if they fall apart a bit.) As they’re done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a platter, leaving the oil behind. Pour off all but a slick of oil in the skillet.
When all the beets are ready, add the scallions and beets greens (if using) to the pan and cook, stirring, just until fragrant and the greens are wilted, about 1 minute. Scatter the mixture over the beets, along with the cashews and the reserved roasted garlic and chile slices, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve warm.
