As a Polish girl, I was born with a beet in my hand. We go together like peanut butter and jelly. Every week, I am sure to buy them at the farmers' market and incorporate them into my (Polish) diet. Eating whole and clean is very important to me, and it is not as difficult as people make it out to be. The following recipe is from the book Clean Eats, by Dr. Alejandro Junger, the person I consider to be my clean eating guru.
A few months back, my husband and I hosted a small dinner party. I was looking to make something, like a gorgeous starter or passed appetizer that would impress my guests. When I saw the roasted beet carpaccio pictured in his book, I instantly knew this dish would be the one to get everyone at the party talking. It did not disappoint. The presentation was colorful and elegant, and most importantly it was delicious. As most people usually eat a meat or fish carpaccio, a vegetarian option makes for an attractive option.
adapted from Clean Eats
ingredients
4 large beets, peeled (use rubber gloves when peeling beets!)
2 handfuls of frisée, spinach or arugula
1 small handful of fresh herbs, such as mint, dill, parsley, ideally some edible flowers
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for beets
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place beets in a baking dish, pour about 1/2 inch of water and then cover the dish with tinfoil. Roast the beets for about 45 minutes or until the beets are fork tender. remove them from the oven, drain the water, and allow the beets to cool.
Once the beets have cooled, use a mandoline to slice them unto very thin rounds. Be careful as I sliced my finger on my mandoline, if you don't have one use a sharp knife to slice the rounds.
Arrange the thinly sliced beets over two serving plates, covering the entire surface of each plate. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sprinkle them with the sea salt. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the greens and herbs with the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and fresh ground black pepper. grab a small bundle of greens with your hand and place it in the center of each plate, on top of the beets. Serve immediately and enjoy!
