Golden Beets and Brussels Sprouts

This post goes out to my friend Adam, who shares my fondness for golden beets. They really are quite special.  Well, I suppose beets are pretty neat in general.  They look so unassuming in the stores, often stripped of their greenery tops and looking brownish from growing up in dirt.  But take them home and scrub away the soil, and you will be rewarded with their goodness.  Golden beets are even more special, as they won't stain your hands when working with them (a big plus, trust me), and taste (at least to me) a bit more buttery/subtly sweet than their crimson cousins.

This is the first recipe I tried them in, found after randomly picking up both golden beets and brussels sprouts (something I haven't eaten since I was a child) at the store one day.  I discovered a love for the beets, and rediscovered brussels sprouts, all in this one very simple dish: oven roasted beets meet parboiled brussels sprouts accompanied by shallots and herbs.

Golden Beets and Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from We [Heart] Food (another great blog name, no?), via Simply Recipes
Serves 3-4
Printable version


Ingredients:
3 medium/large golden beets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
kosher salt
10 large, fresh brussels sprouts
2 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash and scrub beets.  Place in a roasting pan and coat with one tablespoon olive oil and one teaspoon salt.  Roast in oven until outside of beets will yield easily to a knife, about an hour.  Remove from oven and let cool.  When cool enough to handle, use a table knife to peel away the beets' skin.  Cut beets into cubes about 1" to 1 1/2" on each side.
Remove outer layers of brussels sprouts until leaves appear tightly bunched and clean.  Trim bottoms of stems.
Fill a small saucepan halfway with generously salted water and bring to a boil.  Add the brussels sprouts and cook for 2-3 minutes, until almost fully cooked.  Drain and let cool.  When cool enough to handle, cut sprouts in half.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, being careful not to brown them.  Add a second 1/2 tablespoon of oil and raise the heat to medium-high.  Place the brussels sprouts in the skillet cut side down.  Let cook just until the surfaces begin to brown. 
Add the beets, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.  Stir to combine.  Let cook for an additional minute or two.

Verdict?  A great tasting, healthy dish that is so simple to make.  I think it would also be great with a dollop of goat cheese on it.  I served it alongside some baked tofu.  I'm sure you can think of many other things that would make great company for the beets n' sprouts, too.