My earliest memory of beets was a salad my mother used to make on rare occasions when I was a very little girl, and that I remember with revulsion to this day (no offense to my mother who was actually a wonderful cook). It was sliced canned beets over a bed of iceberg lettuce with a small scoop of cottage cheese and drizzled with dressing made with Durkee’s sauce. The beets were slightly bitter and kind of watery and yuck, yuck—I really dreaded seeing that awful can of beets on the counter. Shiver.
My mother didn’t have access to fresh beets, which are now readily available and taste nothing like the canned. Red beets are beautiful, but messy to work with, so I scout for golden beets and when I find them, this is my favorite way to eat them—an idea that I got from the menu at Seasons 52 restaurant. Not having their recipe, I’ve made my own and here it is—a combination of sweetness and tang that goes well with any fish or meat.
Roasted Golden Beets with Wasabi Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 or 3 large golden beets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Wasabi Cream Sauce (below)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the beets and cut into bite size pieces (1 to 1 ½ inch pieces). In a bowl, toss them with the olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Toss again and then spread the beets onto a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes and stir. Continue to roast until soft and nicely caramelized. Drizzle with wasabi cream and serve.
Wasabi Cream:
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until creamy and well combined.