Just Beet It!!

Feeding the masses is lots of fun. It gives me a chance to go a little crazy with my large stack of recipes-to-try. For some odd reason, entertaining is like a swift kick in the adventurous pants.

What's Cooking this Wednesday? Well, lots & lots of things, but a side dish won the coveted post position for today. (Why do side dishes always seem to be ignored over desserts & main courses, anyway?)

This particular side has become quite popular here. For some reason, certain family members were under the misguided notion that they did not like beets. So, I slyly smuggled them into the repertoire cleverly served with something they *will* eat...green beans. In the end I am actually hearing requests for this recipe...

Sauteed Baby Beets with Haricots Verts & Lemon

*Toss 1 1/2 pounds red or golden baby beets, trimmed & scrubbed (thinly slice regular red beets if baby beets unavailable) with 2 + T. olive oil in roasting pan.
*Sprinkle with sea salt
*Cover with foil & bake until tender - ~30 minutes
*Let beets stand at room temperature ~20 minutes

While the beets are roasting & cooling...
*Trim 1 1/2 pounds haricots verts (or regular fresh green beans)
*Cook haricots verts in boiling salted water until crisp-tender (~4 minutes)
*Drain & transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain again & pat dry
*Melt 1/4 c. butter in large pan over medium heat
*Add 2 T. fresh lemon juice & 1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel to butter
*Add roasted beets & haricots verts to butter mix
*Add 1/2 c. minced Italian parsley leaves & season with sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
*Toss well & saute until well heated, ~3 minutes
*Serve hot or at room temperature - 6 generous servings

Part 2 of this recipe will follow on another What's Cooking Wednesday...the beets are just awesome used in panini!