French "Peasant" Beets
Amanda scrubs a beet with her nifty hand-held scrubber.
Beets waiting at the bus stop.
Swiss chard taking a bath.
Merrill gives it a good swish to release any grit clinging to the leaves.
Merrill always cooks wearing this loving expression.
Merrill chops leaves. Amanda slices beets. And a ghost minces the shallot.
Shallot happily bubbling in butter.
Now you stay on your side and we'll stay on ours!
The yellow beets inevitably get stained pink from the red beets.
When the beets are caramelized and cooked through, you start adding the greens. You may need to do this in batches if the greens are bountiful.
You cook the greens for a few minutes, turning them often so they wilt evenly.
Then you add a little white wine and cover the pan. And if you don't have a proper lid, a baking sheet does the trick!
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Author Notes: Between our CSA and garden, we found ourselves up to our eyeballs in beets a few summers ago. I concocted this dish as an homage to a simple French peasant dinner. When I explained the concept to my husband, he riduculed me, "What peasants eat boucheron and drink Muscadet with their beets?" "Um, French ones?" - Amy_N-B - Amy_N-B
Food52 Review: In our next life, we'd like to be French peasants, or at least, eat like them. We have a soft spot for beet recipes that utilize both the sweet root and minerally tops. Here, Amy_N-B has you caramelize slices of yellow and red beets (we used 4 large beets total; might do 3 next time) and then add a mix of beet tops and Swiss chard, cooking them just enough to wilt. You'll love the dish at this point, but you'll be riveted if you serve it with oozy boucheron and good country bread. - A&M
Serves 2 for dinner, 4 as a side
- 4-6 Beets with greens (I like a mixture of golden and red beets)
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot
- Salt
- Freshly Ground Pepper
- 2 tablespoons white wine (Muscadet is my preference)
- 2 tablespoons water
- .5 pounds Bucheron Cheese (room temperature)
- Crusty peasant style bread (warmed in oven
- Scrub and peel the beets. Remove the greens and chop coarsely. Set the greens aside in a large prep bowl. Slice beets into 1/4 inch rounds.
- Remove the ribs from the swiss chard and coarsely chop and toss into bowl with the beet greens,
- In a large sautee pan, melt butter. Sautee shallots.
- Add beet rounds to the shallot butter mixture. Crack some pepper over the beets and a toss on a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and sautee beets, turning over to ensure even cooking.
- About 15 minutes later when beets are begnning to glaze and become tender, add greens and chard. Sautee for about 5 minutes, then add wine and cover. Cook until greens are wilted, adding water if necessary. Allow liquid to be mostly absorbed into greens, adjust seasonings.
- Scoop greens and beets into a low shallow bowl. Garnish with a sizeable wedge of bucheron and some crusty bread. Crack a little bit of pepper over the entire dish.
- Your Best Beets Contest Winner!
Tags: rustic, Vegetarian
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3 days ago skenny89
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes, I adore it so much and have been making it on the regular since its posting. Thank you so much for it
4 months ago constanterratic
Excellent dish! I used feta and red wine instead (it was what I had on hand) and the beets and greens tasted amazing. I love this recipe!
6 months ago ironhag
I followed this recipe exactly, even found some locally produced boucheron-style cheese and it was fabulous. I will make this again and again, next time I'll share it with my husband!
6 months ago garytoo
Tried this recipe, the wife and I loved it. The cheese we had was smoked gouda, the bread was ciabatta. It accompanied chicken with roasted carrots, and a glass wine. Will definently make again. The dish looked just as the recipe showed.
12 months ago oregon cassie
Finally made this tonight (had saved it a while ago) -- it was so very good! No bucheron to be found in our town but I'm addicted to a French triple creme available at Costco (Le Delice de Bourgogne) & the dish was perfection. I made the mistake of using it as a side for grilled steak & roasted green beans but next time will make it the entree!
over 1 year ago foodieinthemaking
Seriously amazing! I've tried this recipe several times now and have had nothing but amazing results each time. It's great for company but also easy enough to do on a weekday.
over 1 year ago elisa
I made this dish last night for a few friends, and we all could not stop commenting on how wonderful the dish was. It was superb, I can't wait to make it again! In addition to golden beets and regular red beets, I also used candy striped beets (aka "Chioggia" beets). And I had no Bucheron so I used a semi-firm goat cheese. These substitutions worked out fantastically.
Amy_N-B, thank you for sharing this recipe with us all!
over 1 year ago isac
made it tonight. it was so good!! pure sweetness. i used fresh goat cheese and it worked really well.
will make it again. next time i will look for bucheron...
over 1 year ago DaniMama
Super YUM!!! Thanks for the recipe!
over 1 year ago Tom Wade
Not a beet fan. But will try. tom wade
over 1 year ago Fran McGinty
Made these the other night and they lived up to all these beautiful comments. They were great !
over 1 year ago flossy
pure heaven.
almost 2 years ago nogaga
Made this, LOVED it :)
almost 2 years ago LLStone
I also made this and my husband and I loved it. Because of your strong suggestion on the Boucheron; I bought some and it was superb. I had some leftover beets that I added to a smoked salmon nicoise and it was very good w/ that as well. Great recipe!
almost 2 years ago HereFishyFishy
After making this the other night, I would love to say that I was speechless but rather than that, I actually could not shut up about it. Normally one to sit back modestly and accept any compliments (as if I was smart enough to create this dish), after 1 bite I said to my wife that I may have just found my "last meal." Thank you for a wonderful, perfect recipe that I will make for a lifetime!
almost 2 years ago CDH
I love beets with goat cheese and recently made this recipe. Also wanted to offer a suggestion related to the previously mentioned honeyed goat cheese. An appetizer that friends love is goat cheese with honey generously drizzled on top. Chop fresh mint leaves and top off the cheese and honey.
almost 2 years ago zest in the midwest
I made this for dinner a few weeks ago. It was divine. Instead of Boucheron, we used Trader Joe's honeyed goat cheese (surprisingly good....you can barely taste the honey but it does something magical to the cheese). I love this recipe!
about 2 years ago KenXiexie
This recipe is great! I had manchego instead of bucheron.simply amazing!
about 2 years ago artfulgourmet
these look amazing. any vegetable caramelized with shallots and butter is a WINNER!!
about 2 years ago Leslie_
I love beets, and this recipe is truly a winner! My daughter prepared it this weekend and (since I had no Bucheron in the fridge) served it with Monterey goat cheese from Rawson Brook Farm (in Monterey, MA). She also made farro with roasted shitake mushrooms and parmesan. Both were excellent accompaniments to NY strip steaks cooked quickly in a cast iron pan. Thank you, food52, for all the wonderful recipes!
over 2 years ago romanolikethecheese
Droplets of good balsamic vinegar on top set this dish up from good to really good!!
over 2 years ago martadouglass
fantastic. i made it with some chardonnay lying around and paired it with plain yogurt. wonderful!
almost 3 years ago bottomupfood
Loved this. Used a mix of three random cheese in the fridge instead (feta, gouda, cheddar) and it worked out just as well.
almost 3 years ago JsGirl
Made this today and it was just as good as advertised.
almost 3 years ago J-Dizzle
Just bought a bunch of golden and red beets from our local market; looking forward to making this recipe tonight - the carmelized beets with the Bucheron cheese on the side looks delicious!! Yumm....
about 3 years ago chez danisse
It seems the peasants don't have it so bad. Saving.
about 3 years ago deensiebat
Made this last night and loved it. I had fallen into a rut of always making beets the same way -- wedges par-boiled then roasted, greens reserved for later. Nice to have a new all-in-one method, with a sweet result.
about 3 years ago jdaysy
Finally made this recipe and it is amazing! Perfect in every way!
about 3 years ago Amy_N-B
Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it!
about 3 years ago cafetrix
Go to the website for Cowgirl Creamery and order it from them! Yummy! www.cowgirlcreamery.com/
It is also a fun place to visit if you are ever in Northern CA. Point Reyes is the most preserved landscape in this area of CA. Tamales Bay is the cleanest and the oysters coming from here are some of the most delicious in the world. So it seems, is the cheese. Happy Cows, Happy Cheese eaters....Bon Appetite!
about 3 years ago WinnieAb
Must. Find. Bucheron.
about 3 years ago Amy_N-B
I hope you can find it. It's a more common cheese than you might think. Nice grocery stores (like Wegmans and Whole Foods) usually have it and any good cheese counter should have it. Sometimes its spelled Boucheron, Bucherondin, or Boucherondin. All will do the trick :)
about 3 years ago lastnightsdinner
These were truly fabulous. Truly. Thank you and congrats on your winning recipe!
about 3 years ago monkeymom
Congratulations! I am now very curious about Bucheron and will be on the look out.
about 3 years ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Congrats, Amy!
about 3 years ago dymnyno
Congratulations on a fabulous recipe. As a avid beet lover, I am doing this one tonight.
about 3 years ago NakedBeet
Made this last night-yum!
about 3 years ago Amy_N-B
Thank you so much to everyone for the comments and support. This is probably one of the simplest things that I make, but also one of the most comforting and delicious. I should point out that it's also highly adaptable: sometimes I use all red beets or all golden. If I don't have shallots, I might throw in garlic or nothing at all. The Bucheron though, is for me, the thing that makes this dish. The way the rind starts to melt, the gooeyness of the center, with the sweetness of the beets, and the crustiness of the bread..... ahhh. PS My favorite bread to eat with French Peasant Beets is "Billy Bread" an artisanal spelt-wheat-white loaf made here in Richmond, VA.
about 3 years ago NakedBeet
Off to WF for lunch and some Bucheron cheese!
about 3 years ago cafetrix
I just made something like this last week and I love using the beet greens with the beet root. The Boucheron Cheese is a nice touch!
about 3 years ago Justforlicks
If I can have this for lunch or dinner then I want to be a French peasant too. :)
about 3 years ago chez lady S
this recipe will make a non beet lover like myself a convert!
about 3 years ago pnichols
This looks really great! Can't wait to try it at home.
about 3 years ago coffeefoodwritergirl
This looks very delicious! I am looking forward to trying it -- have a big bunch of gold and red beets in my fridge at this very moment. thanks for a great recipe!
about 3 years ago HelenR
This looks like heaven. Totally making it this weekend.
about 3 years ago bcnichols
The beets are so sweet and the Bucheron melts in your mouth! Beth
about 3 years ago Brad
I love this dish. Simple, but so yummy!
about 3 years ago Amy_N-B
I am so honored to be nominated. This really is my favorite way to eat beets and makes "our vegetarian dinner for two" rotation almost every other week.
about 3 years ago student epicure
YUM! can't wait to try this.
about 3 years ago JimHero
Simple, yet fantastic. Caramelizing the beets with shallots and butter brings out the sugar in the beets so well. I literally could not stop eating this during filming.
about 3 years ago monkeymom
Wow, that says is all. Can't wait to try it!
about 3 years ago NakedBeet
Congrats Amy! These look wonderful with the cheese.
about 3 years ago thirschfeld
simple but oooohhhh so good. Can't wait to try this.