Pan roasted beets with turnips

July 11, 2:48 PMSeattle Sustainable Foods ExaminerPatricia Eddy

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Pan roasted beets and turnips, surprisingly tasty

Beets are one of those vegetables that people either love or hate. If you hate them, you probably think they taste a lot like dirt. If you love them, you'll wonder how in the world anyone could associate such a wonderful vegetable with dirt.

If you're still working on liking beets, an easy way to cook them is to pan roast them in butter with some spices. The roasting makes them nice and crispy and this can help with the flavor. Also choose young beets that are sweeter rather than very large beets.

Pan Roasted Beets and Turnips

Serves 2

• 3 medium beets
• 3 medium turnips
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

1. Dice the beets and turnips. The less you like beets, the finer you should dice them, to the point where the pieces are approximately the size of a dime.
2. In a large skillet, melt a few tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
3. Add the beets and turnips, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until the beets and turnips have browned a bit, shrunk, and carmelized.
4. Prepare to be surprised and serve.

Patricia's Notes: I was amazed at how well this turned out. I first tried this with just beets and added them to a risotto. Adding the turnips, however, yielded a great side dish. It isn't the healthiest dish with a couple of tablespoons of butter, but I've made it three times since the first time and each time I make it, I reduce the amount of butter a bit. By doing this, I've eased myself into tasting the beets more and more. I've also steadily increased the size of the beet pieces that I use. I'm now up to quarter or half dollar sized pieces and down to about a tablespoon and a half of butter and I still like the taste. You can also add some paprika or garlic to the pan for additional flavor. If you want to dilute the beet flavor even more, throw in a couple of diced red potatoes.