Eat Dirt

I bought a bag of beets last weekend at the farmers market, and they looked at me all week. I’d open the fridge and they’d give me those sad eyes that said—you don’t appreciate me.

They were right. I was zipping through the week on lunches out, and dinners of raw carrots, chunks of cheese, crackers left over from a party I had a few weeks ago, and toast. I was not appreciating the beets’ yummy soil-flavored goodness, or their luscious hot pink insides. I think that even if I didn’t love the sweet, dirty taste of beets, I would still cook them just so I could be around their color. Beet is my favorite color.

Eat dirt—they said to me. And I deserved it.

Luckily beets are hearty, and they last quite a while in the fridge. So I pulled them out yesterday to try to make amends. I cooked them, made them a sauce, and ate them for lunch. I ate them again for breakfast today. And I’ll probably eat them for lunch tomorrow.

Beets with Horseradish Crème
6-8 beets
1 cup crème fraiche 
½ cup grated fresh horseradish root (way less if you’re using prepared horseradish)
1-2 T chopped fresh chives
1 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper

• Boil the beets whole until they’re tender. Peel them when they’re cool enough to handle, and slice them into wedges.  
• Mix crème fraiche, horseradish, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chill for at least an hour to let the flavors meld.
• Serve the beets with a dollop of crème.