Did you know that you can make Red Velvet Cake with roasted beets? I made one recently and it was quite good. But I was really quite surprised by how well beets and chocolate played together. So, of course, I wanted to take that combo to the next level, and turn it on its head a bit. Well...here you go!
This dish is earthy as one would expect from the beets. And it is no surprise how well balsamic compliments that flavor. The chocolate just adds a touch of sweetness to enhance the flavors you get from roasting the root veggie. I think you are going to like...no, LOVE it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Trim and peel the 1 pound of red beets, reserving the beet greens. Then cut the beets into wedges.
Rinse the greens, remove the large stems and set aside to dry.
Place the beets in a small baking dish, cover with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mixing them so that all slices are coated.
Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake the beets for about 45 minutes, or until a knife can easily pierce the largest piece.
In a small sauce pan, combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of both sugar and cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Warm it over a medium heat until the mixture combines and thickens.
In a small saute pan, add the chopped beet greens along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook it over a medium-low heat just so that the greens wilt.
The beets should be done by the time you have finished the chocolate-balsamic glaze and cooked the greens. Remove them from the oven, letting cool slightly. Then toss them with the glaze.
Serve the chocolate & balsamic roasted beets over the beet greens.
Enjoy!
