Sautéed Beet Green Salad
I sure we have all grabbed a bunch of beets and said ” what the hell am I supposed to do with all these leaves”. Don’t fear, there is a solution and I am here to help you through this trauma.
It plagues us all, we go to the store to buy Carrots and they stick us with the tops. Cauliflower with the leaves still attached, Pineapples with their unfriendly prickly spikes and Beets with bright green and Red leaves.
It’s a burden we all must bare, but do not panic, there is something we can do with the Beets. Believe it or not those Beets leaves can actually be delicious… it’s true. They even have a bunch of good things like vitamin A – K and C, with a pile of other stuff too. I can’t say I like eating them by themselves but add some Bacon and Walnuts, a little Sauté in Butter and Bacon fat and I’m in.
Sautéed Beet Green Salad Love
A Sautéed Beet Green Salad is a great way to show these nutritious power house greens some love. Start by giving a good rinse. I prefer not to use the stems but there’s nothing wrong with using them. Pile a few leaves at a time on top of each other, give them a little role and slice. Continue with the rest of leaves until you have given them all a good Chiffonade´. That’s just a fancy French word for cutting leafy greens into long, thin strips.
This is another recipe that benefits from some prep work ” Mise en Place “. Cutting and measuring everything before you start cooking will make the cooking go smoother and with a lot less stress. Cut the Bacon, Onion, Garlic and Beet Greens and measure the Vinegar, Wine, Butter and Mustard Seed.
Ready to cook
Now that you have everything cut, measured and standing by ready to be Sautéed, let’s get cooking. Start with a dry pan and lightly toast the Walnuts, nice light to medium brown spots on them. After they are Toasted spread them out on your cutting board and let them cool off while you’re cooking everything else.
Toss the Bacon in and let it start to get some color, then toss in the Onion and Seasoning. Just a pinch of Salt and Pepper will do and continue cooking until the Onions start to become translucent. Add the Garlic, Mustard Seed and Horseradish ,if using, and enjoy that beautiful smell for a minute or two.
Time for the Beet Greens… add a nob of butter then throw the Beet Greens in. Season again with a pinch of S & P and mix the Greens with the Bacon and Onions. Give the ingredients a good flip or stir a few times while the Beet Greens are cooking down.
What did one Musician say to the other
” Get back on the BEET “
Once the Beet Greens have started to wilt and the pan is almost dry time to add the Vinegar and Wine. Start with the White Wine vinegar and let it cook until the pan is almost dry then add the White Wine and reduce it down until the pan is almost dry again.
You are almost done, add those delicious Toasted Walnuts back and toss. Pile them nice and high in a serving bowl for a eye popping presentation and finish with a very light drizzle of Walnut Oil ( optional ). Now Dig in to this healthy and great tasting Sautéed Beet Green Salad!!
Don’t forget to use the Beets to make Pickled Beets for my Arugula Beets Salad.
Sautéed Beet Green Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 Slices Bacon, I used Maple Bacon I enjoyed the added flavour Cut into strips
- 1/2 Onion, Med to large Large Diced
- 3 cloves Garlic Crushed and chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seed
- 1 tsp Horseradish ( Optional )
- 1 Nob Butter tsp to Tbsp depending how much you like Butter
- 9-12 Beets, using just the Leaves
- 1 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar
- 1/4 C White Wine Dry preferably
- Salt and Pepper
Garnish
- drizzle Walnut Oil
- 1/4 C Walnuts
Instructions
- Start with ” Mise en Place “, Cut and dice the Bacon, Onion, and Garlic. Chiffonade the Beet Leaves which is a fancy way of saying cut them into long strips. Bunch several leaves together, roll then up and slice.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients into bowls or containers.
- Start off with a dry pan on medium heat and toast the Walnuts until they start to show some golden brown spots. Remove them to your cutting board to cool while you cook everything else.
- Heat the pan back up on medium high heat and toss in the Bacon. Cook until the Bacon is 3/4 the way done then add the Onion and a pinch of Salt and Pepper. Continue cooking until the Onions become translucent, add the Garlic, Mustard Seed and Horseradish and enjoy the smells for 1-2 minutes. Make sure the Garlic doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Now add the star, toss the Beet Greens on top and add another pinch of Salt and Pepper. Toss everything together and let the Greens start to wilt down.
- Once they have wilted and most of the liquid has dried up it’s time to deglaze. Start by adding the Sherry Vinegar ( or other Vinegar of your choice Sauterne or White Wine work fine ) to the pan and let it reduce down.
- When the Vinegar has almost dried up add the White Wine and reduce it by at least half or more.
- Lastly add those beautiful nutty Toasted Walnuts back into the pan and toss. Place into your serving dish, drizzle with a little Walnut oil and bon appetite.