Beets, I know, is a touchy subject. It seems you either love them or hate them. Well in my case I never had an encounter with them until I was told I need to start eating them.  It is very hard to find new sides when you are implementing new veggies and taking out things like mac and cheese. Well for me it is all about flavor. I have tried these babies boiled, baked, roasted, pickled and even chipped. I care for some ways but not too crazy about others. For instance, I don’t think i like them boiled. Then I was laying in bed thinking about how I would make garlic roasted butternut squash and balsamic carrots for school children, yes I really made that for children (by the way, they loved it). And I was thinking of flavors that mesh well and I came up with sweet potatoes and beets. Now let me say while I used my Paderno Spirilizer you can hash this into little squares, use a hand held spiralizer or even slice them into chips and this recipe will still work. Its all about the flavors and desired tenderness.  This combination turned out to be one of my favorites. Also the upside down face i got from the teen in the house turned into a surprised smile when she tasted as well.

Serves 4 as a side accompaniment

 

First thing is prepping your ingredients, peeling your sweet potatoes, washing the beets and cutting the nobby ends off. Now you are ready to dice, shave, spiralize or slice your beets and sweet potatoes. I of course went  spiral, I love this tool and never get tired of using it.  Mince your garlic, I also add a little salt when doing this.

In a large saute pan add oil and butter and place on medium heat. Add your sliced, diced, shaved or swirled veggies into saute pan.

Drizzle on the balsamic, add minced garlic and rosemary sprigs. I always save one sprig for garnish .

Let this saute for about 20 minutes, I like mine with a slight crunch but not raw. You can cover this as well. The steam helps it along for the last 10 minutes. If you like it very tender, definitely go with the lid for the entire time, stirring occasionally.

When you’re done, it will turn this beautiful color of vibrant reds with hues of orange. The balsamic vinegar and garlic with rosemary has just the right balance.  Rich and fresh notes, it’s lovely with steak which is what we had along with some roasted broccolini.

I might have slipped in a glass of red whine which put this meal over the top. Enjoy and let me know…. Fan of beets?

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