a bunch of beets

18 February 2014

Welcome friends. A few years ago, I was looking for a side dish to make with poultry, and I decided to try a recipe from Saveur Cooks Authentic French for a Lentil Salad with roasted carrots and beets. Prior to this, I had only eaten beets the way my grandmother fixed them. She would boil them, then slice them, pickle them, and add boiled eggs. It was okay, but I think that my favorite part was the eggs, not the beets. She loved to make this in the summer time.

I love french lentils and I was curious about pairing them with beets. The recipe only had a few ingredients and it looked fairly easy to make, so I decided to give it a try. After making it, I thought there were too many lentils; and I discovered that I really liked the flavor of the roasted beets. I have made some modifications to the original recipe. I like to use the french lentils because they hold their shape.

I find that raw lentils cook better when I use a ceramic or cast iron container. Either an 8 by 8 ceramic baking dish or some type of cast iron dutch oven will work. If you use a ceramic dish, you will need to cover it with foil after the lentils are added.

I like this dish warm, as a side for poultry. I start making it at Thanksgiving time. I also like it cold. When I have some left over, I will have it on top of mixed greens or maybe spoon some into small, scoop-shaped, corn chips like the ones you see in the photo.

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Roasted Beets and Lentils

25 min. prep time | 1 hr bake time | 10 min. cool time

beets and lentils in scoops

Ingredients

serves 6

  • 1/2 cup small french green lentils
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 beets
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 shallot
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Directions

preheat the oven to 350° F.

place the lentils in a medium, heat-proof, bowl. Add the baking soda, cover the lentils with boiling water, and stir. Set aside to cool.

fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel the beets and place them in the bowl. Peel the carrots and place them in the bowl. Keep in mind that the lentils are small, so the diced vegetables should be smallish. Dice the carrots and place them in the baking dish or cast iron dutch oven. Dice the beets and shallot and add them to the baker.

add the salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the beet mixture and mix together. Place the bay leaf in the bottom of the baker, under the mixture. Add the sprigs of thyme on top of the mixture. Place this in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir the mixture after 10 minutes.

rinse and drain the lentils while the beets are roasting.

stir the drained lentils and ½ cup of water into the beet mixture. Cover the baker and return it to the oven for 20 minutes. Uncover the baker and stir the mixture. If the lentils are starting to dry out, you can add another ¼ cup of water. Cover and return it to the oven for another 20 minutes.

whisk together the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the vinegar. Remove the baker from the oven and remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. Pour the oil mixture over all and stir to combine. Allow the lentils to cool for 10 minutes before serving. This dish can be served hot or cold.