Beets: The Verdict (Plus Dinner Tonight)
Beets are, in fact, good eats!
For dinner tonight, I made pork chops with a mustard-tarragon sauce, sauteed swiss chard and beet leaves with garlic, and roasted beets. Everything turned out really well, and I think all the flavors worked together.
When we first bought the beets, we cut the leaves off about an inch from the beets so that the chard wouldn't continue to steal the beets' precious sugar.
With tonight's dinner, I started by preheating the oven to 450 F. I cleaned the beets and wrapped each beet in aluminum foil. Then I put them on a cookie sheet and stuck them in the oven.
About 45 minutes later, I started working on the prep. I cut the stems out of the greens and then put them in my salad spinner and filled the spinner with water. I gave them a good swish and let them sit so that the sand and silt would filter to the bottom of the bowl. I crushed two cloves of garlic for the pork and crushed and chopped two more cloves for the greens. I chopped a small handful of tarragon. I quartered and peeled an onion.
Then I added about 2 tsp. of olive oil to a large skillet and heated it over medium-high heat. I added the chopped garlic. I quickly drained and spun my greens. Then I added them to the skillet with the garlic. I seasoned the greens with a pinch of salt. I reduced the heat to medium-low once the greens started to wilt.
After reducing the heat, I put a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and added about 2 tsp. of olive oil. Then, as the oil heated, I quickly seasoned my chops with salt and pepper. I added the chops to the cast-iron skillet and browned each side for 1-2 minutes. Then, I turned the heat down to low, put about 1.5 tsp of butter on top of each chop, and scattered the onion and crushed garlic around the chops. I covered the dish and let the chops finish cooking.
Throughout all this, I stirred my greens. Once I covered the chops, I removed the beets from the oven and tested to make sure the beets were done by piercing one with a toothpick (going right through the foil--it went in without much resistance, so I knew the beets were done). I let them cool down on a clean cutting board.
I poked the chops and discovered they were done (at 140 F). I removed the chops to a plate and covered them with a clean towel (normally, I'd use foil, but I ran out with the beets). I deglazed the pork chop pan with some wine (maybe 1/4 cup?), added the tarragon, and then a big tablespoonful of mustard. I whisked (okay, Judson did the whisking so that I could peel the beets) the sauce together. I peeled the beets using an old, clean kitchen towel. I sliced them as evenly as I could considering their super-high temperature. I put them in a bowl and tossed them with a sprinking of kosher salt and about a teaspoon of olive oil.
And then Judson and I assembled the plates and ate! Huzzah!
I suppose over all, there was quite a bit of oil and fat, but sometimes, you just have to make your vegetables taste good. And they did! The beets were delicious, despite their reputation and their somewhat scary aroma.
For dinner tonight, I made pork chops with a mustard-tarragon sauce, sauteed swiss chard and beet leaves with garlic, and roasted beets. Everything turned out really well, and I think all the flavors worked together.
When we first bought the beets, we cut the leaves off about an inch from the beets so that the chard wouldn't continue to steal the beets' precious sugar.
With tonight's dinner, I started by preheating the oven to 450 F. I cleaned the beets and wrapped each beet in aluminum foil. Then I put them on a cookie sheet and stuck them in the oven.
About 45 minutes later, I started working on the prep. I cut the stems out of the greens and then put them in my salad spinner and filled the spinner with water. I gave them a good swish and let them sit so that the sand and silt would filter to the bottom of the bowl. I crushed two cloves of garlic for the pork and crushed and chopped two more cloves for the greens. I chopped a small handful of tarragon. I quartered and peeled an onion.
Then I added about 2 tsp. of olive oil to a large skillet and heated it over medium-high heat. I added the chopped garlic. I quickly drained and spun my greens. Then I added them to the skillet with the garlic. I seasoned the greens with a pinch of salt. I reduced the heat to medium-low once the greens started to wilt.
After reducing the heat, I put a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and added about 2 tsp. of olive oil. Then, as the oil heated, I quickly seasoned my chops with salt and pepper. I added the chops to the cast-iron skillet and browned each side for 1-2 minutes. Then, I turned the heat down to low, put about 1.5 tsp of butter on top of each chop, and scattered the onion and crushed garlic around the chops. I covered the dish and let the chops finish cooking.
Throughout all this, I stirred my greens. Once I covered the chops, I removed the beets from the oven and tested to make sure the beets were done by piercing one with a toothpick (going right through the foil--it went in without much resistance, so I knew the beets were done). I let them cool down on a clean cutting board.
I poked the chops and discovered they were done (at 140 F). I removed the chops to a plate and covered them with a clean towel (normally, I'd use foil, but I ran out with the beets). I deglazed the pork chop pan with some wine (maybe 1/4 cup?), added the tarragon, and then a big tablespoonful of mustard. I whisked (okay, Judson did the whisking so that I could peel the beets) the sauce together. I peeled the beets using an old, clean kitchen towel. I sliced them as evenly as I could considering their super-high temperature. I put them in a bowl and tossed them with a sprinking of kosher salt and about a teaspoon of olive oil.
And then Judson and I assembled the plates and ate! Huzzah!
I suppose over all, there was quite a bit of oil and fat, but sometimes, you just have to make your vegetables taste good. And they did! The beets were delicious, despite their reputation and their somewhat scary aroma.
posted by megan at
7:55 PM
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