Beet Salad With Moroccan Spiced Beet Greens

1. 1

   Remove the greens from the beets and set them aside. Peel the raw beets and use a mandoline to slice them into very thin, uniform sized rounds. Put the beet slices into a bowl along with the juice of 2 or 3 lemons. You want plenty of juice, but it does not need to be soupy. Add the cayenne pepper. Set the beets aside to marinate at room temperature until plating time. But do not let them marinate more than 4 hours. Drain them well before plating.

2. 2

   Cut off the thick stems of the beet greens, then clean the the leaves by totally submerging them in a colander set in a large bowl of cool water. Agitate them well and leave to soak a few minutes. Then lift out the colander, drain the water, refill the bowl and repeat until there is no grit. (This is both easier and much more effective than the running water and colander method.) Roll a stack of beets leaves lengthwise, like a cigar. Then slice across the roll making perfect chiffonades about 1/4 inch wide. Continue with all the greens. Put the greens into a big pot with a lid. Add a tablespoon or two of water. Cover the pot and bring what little liquid there is to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 5 or 6 minutes before proceeding. Put the greens back into the colander and press out as much liquid as you can.

3. 3

   Slice 4 garlic cloves and put them into a large frying pan with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Saute them at medium high until garlic begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, along with a few grinds of black pepper. Stir in the cooked beet greens adding a bit more olive oil if the mixture seems dry.

4. 4

   Mound the greens onto the center of a serving dish and give them a good squeeze of lemon juice. Surround the greens with plenty of the raw marinated golden beets. Give the beets a light sprinkling of cayenne if you like. A good drizzle of olive oil finishes the dish. Serve at room temperature.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.