Beets! So pretty and pink! I remember this one Valentine’s Day in high school I got mad at my boyfriend for giving me 6 pink roses instead of 12 dozen red ones. So silly! I mean you can’t even eat roses! A bouquet of beautiful beets is so much more romantic / edible. They’re also really low maintenance – just a simple roast in the oven and they’re ready to steal the spotlight on your dinner plate. With the same amount of effort you could also wine-braise them for even more intensely red delicious sauciness. Pair them with goat cheese grits – because beets and goat cheese are like soulmates. Get your fancy dishes out, watch this funny video, laugh and have a lovely Valentine’s Day! Lots of love!
Ingredients for the Wine-braised Beets
3 to 5 small beets
1 shallot
1/4 cup of red wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
fresh thyme
pinch of sugar
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper
Ingredients for the Goat Cheese Grits
1 cup white stone ground grits
2 onces goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Peel and cut the beets into quarters. Finely chop the shallot. Place in oven-proof dish with the rest of the ingredients. Roast at 400F for 20 minutes. I lightly covered the beets with a sheet of foil so that the juices wouldn’t evaporate. While the beets are roasting make the grits – per package directions or bring 3 cups water to a boil, add the cup of grits. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring often. Add the goat cheese at the very end. Taste for salt and pepper. For even richer grits cook them in milk instead of water. But I thought they were plenty rich and flavorful enough just cooked in water. Serve the grits along with the beets. Garnish with more fresh thyme.