- Save Story
A&M: When Amy N-B told her husband that she came up with this dish as an homage to a simple French peasant dinner, he teased her: "What peasants eat Bucheron cheese and drink Muscadet with their beets?" "Um, French ones?" Well, 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 four large beets total; might do three 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 a soft Bucheron and good country bread.
Ingredients
Serves 2 as an entrée, 4 as a side dish
4 to 6 beets with greens (I like a mixture of golden and red beets)
1 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed and dried
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine (Muscadet is my preference)
1/2 pound Bucheron (at room temperature), cut into 4 wedges
Crusty peasant-style bread (warmed in the oven)
Preparation
Step 1
1. Scrub and peel the beets. Remove the greens, wash and dry them, and chop coarsely. Set the greens aside in a large prep bowl. Slice the beets into 1/4-inch rounds.
Step 2
2. Remove the ribs from the Swiss chard and coarsely chop the ribs. Toss the leaves and ribs into the bowl with the beet greens.
Step 3
3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and sauté the shallot over medium heat until softened.
Step 4
- Add the beet rounds to the shallot-butter mixture. Toss in a pinch of salt and crack some pepper over the beets. Reduce the heat and sauté the beets, turning to ensure even cooking, until the beets are beginning to glaze and become tender, about 15 minutes.
Step 5
- Add the beet greens, chard, and chard ribs and sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the wine and cover. Cook until the greens are wilted, adding 2 tablespoons water if necessary. Allow the liquid to be mostly absorbed into the greens. Adjust the seasonings.
Step 6
- Scoop the greens and beets into a shallow bowl. Serve with a generous wedge of Bucheron and some crusty bread. Crack a little bit of pepper over the entire dish.
Tips and Techniques
Step 7
To find the right cheese, Amy N‐B said: "Nice grocery stores (such as Wegmans and Whole Foods) usually have it, and any good cheese counter should have it. It can be spelled Boucheron, Bucherondin, or Boucherondin. All will do the trick."
About the Cook
Step 8
Amy Nichols‐Belo is a cultural anthropologist from Richmond, Virginia.
Step 9
Her favorite entertaining tip: "When hosting an event where guests will be contributing dishes or beverages, provide a theme (tapas, sixties hors d'oeuvre, Latin) to avoid a meal that's more 'church basem*nt potluck' than party."
Step 10
Here's her blog: Amy Cooks and Brad Does the Dishes (www.amycooksbraddoesthedishes.blogspot.com).
What the Community Said
Step 11
deensiebat: "Made this last night and loved it. I had fallen into a rut of always making beets the same way—wedges parboiled, then roasted, greens reserved for later. Nice to have a new all‐in‐one method, with a sweet result."
Step 12
romanolikethecheese: "Droplets of good balsamic vinegar on top set this dish up from good to really good!!"
From The Food52 Cookbook © 2011 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.
Sign In or Subscribe
to leave a Rating or Review
How would you rate French "Peasant" Beets?
Leave a Review
Reviews (6)
Back to TopTriangleAbsolutely delicious! Used what I had in the fridge. This meant a substitution with mascapone cheese. Her choice would have been better, i'm sure.
Anonymous
San Diego
1/31/2017
THE best beet recipe ever. I add in collard greens.
Anonymous
PA
9/17/2016
I won't rate this recipe because I didn't follow it exactly. I made it with baby rainbow beets and lacinato kale, and served it as a side dish without the bread and cheese. But I thought that peeling raw beets and pan roasting them was fussy. Plus it didn't preserve the colors of the beets well, especially after you cook them with the greens. The color was dull and so was the taste. I think lemon juice would have been better than wine to brighten the flavors. I won't make this again.
gailsin
San Francisco Bay, CA
6/2/2015
This was good - I've never had beets before but had some in my CSA. The flavors are great together and it's very filling. Would probably add just a little more salt throughout the cooking time, though. Not sure if I'd make it again but it was satisfying nonetheless. If you aren't sure that you like beets but want a try - this is a good recipe to start!
MelSpice87
Hoboken, NJ
8/2/2012
I was just looking for ANYTHING to do with all the chard and beets in my fridge, and I was concerned about putting them together until I found this. Do everything Amy N-B says: the boucheron is exactly the right cheese to compliment the sweetness of the beet, but don't underestimate the importance of pairing this with a sweet-but-dry wine. I couldn't find a muscadet, and the sauvignon blanc I substituted was a bit too tart (though fig notes helped!).
painalabanane
Chicago, IL
4/3/2012
I loved this dish! Served this with pork chops and it was a seriously perfect meal. I used a goat Brie because that’s what I had, I still think it worked well. I added herbs de Provence because I can’t not use herbs, also continued to add butter throughout the cooking process. For the wine I used a muscadet from the Loire and that worked beautifully although I think a Jura or even a Chablis would work great - although I wouldn’t fuss over the wine if you’re not going to drink with the meal. I’ll definitely make this again, but I’ll probably omit the cheese and bread and use the beets as a side.
Joy
Los Angeles, CA
1/30/2024
TagsBeetRoot VegetableVegetableSwiss ChardLeafy GreensMainSideDinnerLunchNut FreeVegetarianEasyQuickWeeknight MealsSauteHarper CollinsCookbooks
