Thursday, July 15, 2010

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

Bloggermint

While watching wedding shows the other day, I saw the most fantastic preparation of roasted beets and goat cheese...looking at it made my mouth water.  Now, I have never been a beet person...but the beets I have had are the ones that came in cans from the store.  No wonder I didn't like them.  After trying this recipe, I don't think I will ever make beets any other way than by roasting them.  I started out by scrubbing the beets and cutting the greens and bottom tip off.   I used chioggia beets, but any kind will work.  I laid a piece of foil down on a cookie sheet, and poured a little olive oil onto it. 


I put the clean beets into the oil, rolled them around a little bit, and then covered them with another piece of foil.  Then I scrunched the edges together like this.  I put them in the oven at 350 degrees.  I let them roast for about an hour and fifteen minutes. 



I made sure they were done by sticking a knife into the center of each one.  If it went in easily, I knew they were ready to go.  I could hear the beets sizzling in the oil the whole time they cooked, and the smell was fantastic!


I let them cool a little bit, then pulled the skins off.  After roasting, their jackets just peel right off easily.  I cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and set to the side.  In a skillet, I mixed 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar.  You could also use rice wine vinegar.  I stirred the mixture and heated until it was bubbling nicely.  I put the beet slices in and cooked them for a couple of minutes on each side at a low simmer.  I took them out and put them on a paper towel to soak up the extra liquid. 

I didn't get a good picture of the next step.  My intention was to cut the goat cheese into circular slices and stack them with the beets.  However, the cheese I got was too soft to slice, it must have been more the spreading kind.  I made it work, but if you want to try pretty stacks, get a somewhat more solid goat cheese.  Mine turned out to be little chunks, but I heated them for a little bit in a skillet with just a touch of olive oil.  You could grill them lightly if you had slices.  I put the beets on a plate, and topped with the just melting goat cheese chunks. 


I sprinkled a little bit of chunky salt over the top and then finished with some baby greens.  I used gala mache, but any kind would work. Then it was done, and I ate the whole thing.  You could roast many more beets if you were making this dish to share...I only made a few because I was eating it by myself as my lunch.  I couldn't convince my son to try this, but he doesn't like a lot of cheese.  I am going to try and get him to eat the beets on their own with dinner sometime.  Whether this was stacked or not, it was absolutely delicious!  I bet it would have been great with a glass of red wine.


On a side note, this is my latest kitchen purchase.  This kitchen scale will weigh up to 22 lbs.  I am looking forward to weighing the produce that comes out of my garden from now on.

7 comments:

  1. Those beets look really yummy. I can't remember ever eating a beet, but everything is good if you add enough goat cheese. Did you grow those beets yourself?

    Oh, and you can't ever cut goat cheese. You can crumble it or spread it, though. If you're Nick, you just pick up the chunks and chow down. We go through a ton of goat cheese around here.

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  2. well I wonder how the people did it that I saw on tv then....must have been magic. lol. I did grow those beets. yum yum.

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  3. Looks good. I only grow beets for my grandpa. I dont think I have ever eaten them.

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  4. there is artwork when you cut beet that way... circles of red truely inviting. ~bangchik

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  5. This looks fantastic! So glad @cityslippers hated it on Twitter or I'd have missed the post!

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  6. Well, I guess I'm glad he hated it then...lol. It truly was a pretty dish...pretty and tasty.

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  7. I'm so glad you've abandoned canned beets - roasted beets are somthing to not be missed! I grow lots of beets as I can't get enough of them. I'll try them your way when mine are ready.

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