Meyer Lemon Roasted Beet Salad

To me, beets are the ultimate autumn vegetable. Their sweet earthiness is supreme comfort. I love them roasted with garlic, or boiled and served with butter and cumin, or blood oranges. They are lovely in a breakfast hash with bacon, or raw, grated in salads.

Beets are incredibly healthy, which makes sense intuitively, since their deep color is so similar in appearance to our blood. Since Roman times, beet juice has been considered an aphrodisiac. It is a rich source of the mineral boron, which plays an important role in the production of human sex hormones. From the Middle Ages, beets were used as a treatment for a variety of conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood. The greens bring an additional set of nutrients to the plate, most notably beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and calcium, and are delicious steamed and served with butter.

RECIPE:
serves 12
2 lbs red beets
2 lbs golden beets
salt, pepper
2 meyer lemons, zested and juiced.
3 tbsps sherry
1/4 cup olive oil
6 endive
1/2 lb baby arugula or watercress
fresh chives
dried tarragon
1 cup toasted walnuts
goat cheese or blue cheese- 1 cup or so, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. Scrub the beets, dry them, and then rub them in olive oil, salt and pepper and lemon zest. Then place them in the middle of a large sheet of tin foil and close to make a pocket. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about an hour or until tender to a fork. When done, remove skins and chop the beets.

Make the dressing, by whisking together the sherry, lemon juice, olive oil, tarragon and chives.

Pour the dressing over the beets and mix well. Add the chopped endive and arugula or watercress and mix again, gently. Add the nuts and cheese and some fresh ground pepper, and enjoy.

The beets can be roasted a day or two before using, also the nuts can be roasted before hand. Even the dressing could be made a day ahead if you were really trying to be efficient.

Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root with Crispy Leeks

This is the first of a few Thanksgiving recipes that I will post, so you can begin thinking about the feast ahead (oooooo it's so exciting!)




What makes this recipe so unique is the use of ghee instead of butter. Ghee is easier to digest than butter because it has no lactose in it, which means that the butter-belly syndrome typical of thanksgiving will be minimized. And it's just so delicious! Here the tartness of the creme fraiche balance its rich sweetness.

I leave the skin on my mashed potatoes because it's nutritious, and I think delicious, but you're more than welcome to peel the potatoes if you'd prefer.

Celery root is that odd hairy looking lump you'll see in the produce section- it looks like the most unappetizing thing ever, but it's really quite delicious, and the crisp vibrancy lends itself well to the creaminess of the potatoes.

The type of potatoes you use matters! Some are more flaky and dry, others have thicker skins. The best for mashing are russets and Yukon gold.


RECIPE:

3 Celery roots
4 lbs potatoes
1 tbsp salt
5 tbsps ghee
1/3 cup creme fraiche
1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup minced chives or parsley
black pepper
2 leeks
several tbsps safflower oil or ghee for frying

Peel the celery root- making sure to remove all the fibrous parts. Cut the potatoes and the celery into 1 inch pieces. Bring to a boil in a large pot of water. Add salt and cook until the vegetables are soft (about 10 min).

Meanwhile, chop the leeks into 2 inch logs- then chop lengthwise- creating thin strips. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the leeks and fry less than a minute until golden. Use a fork or slotted spoon and drain the leeks on paper towels.

Drain the soft, cooked vegetables. In a large bowl (or in the same pot), mash the vegetables with a fork or masher. Add the ghee, creme fraiche. Mash thoroughly. Add the cream only if you'd like the potatoes a little creamier. Add salt, herbs and fresh ground pepper to taste- mix thoroughly.

Top with the crispy leeks.