2021 Week 7 Newsletter
Recipe from Taste Cooking
You may have heard of the cook-smash-cook technique for preparing potatoes, and guess what- it works great for beets as well! Tender, slightly crisp, dark and richly flavored, what's not to love? This is another recipe that can easily go from side to main with the addition of a fried egg or two and some crusty bread on the side.
1 bunch small to medium beets
12 garlic cloves, peeled
2 spicy red chilies cut into ½ inch slices (optional)
1 tbs olive oil plus ⅓ cup for panfrying
1 ½ tsp salt
6 scallions trimmed and cut into half inch pieces (some thinly sliced sweet onion is also nice)
flaky sea salt for finishing
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the beets, garlic, chiles, and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat well. Season with the kosher salt. Transfer the mixture to a large Dutch oven or baking dish (deep enough so the beets don’t go over the rim), pour in 3 tablespoons of water, and cover tightly with foil.
Roast until the beets are very tender (a sharp knife should go in with barely any pressure), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the foil and let the beets sit until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm.
Reserve the garlic and chiles, discarding any that got too dark. Transfer the beets to a cutting board (lined with parchment paper, to avoid staining the board), then use a small plate to, one by one, gently crush the beets to a relatively even thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Try to keep them mostly in one piece.
Heat the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmery. Cook the beets, in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, flipping once, until charred and crisp at the edges, about 3 minutes per side. It’s okay if they fall apart a bit—any little pieces will get extra crispy. As they’re done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a platter, leaving the oil behind.
When all the beets are ready, add the scallions and the reserved garlic and chiles to the pan and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Scatter the mixture over the beets, season with flaky salt, and serve.