Beet and Goat Cheese Tart

I bought some goat cheese to have with bread or crackers, then decided to do something else.  That's a kind of expensive change of mind for me, so I went looking for something else to do with 4 oz of chèvre.  In the process, I spent almost as much as the cheese had cost on golden beets because I didn't have enough red ones in the pond to make a tart.  If I have to buy some, I'm getting a contrasting color.

All of the recipes I saw in my research used only the beets.  What about the serious amount of greens that two bunches of beets come attached to?  So I added a layer of greens under the beets.  They're nutritious, give the tart a little height, and fill in any gaps as you layer.

To go with the root vegetable, savory nature of this tart, I made my crust dough with half whole wheat flour.  I liked the flavor combination, and it made for a crisp crust.

9 oz pie crust #2 or rolled store-bought dough
*1 bunch (3) red beets with greens
1 bunch (3) golden beets with greens
2 Tb olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
*1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
*4 oz goat cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Clean beets.  Trim off stem and root ends.  Wrap each color of beets separately in foil after drizzling with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast until soft, about 45 minutes.  Once cool enough to handle, rub off skins.  Slice as thinly as possible, about 1/8".  You might as well leave the oven on, because the tart is going to bake at 375º.

2.  While the beets are cooking and cooling, chiffonade the greens.  Drizzle the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook the greens over medium heat until thoroughly wilted.  Sprinkle with the thyme.  Turn off the heat and add the vinegar.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Roll out the dough and place in a 9" tart shell.  If you want to do a folded-edge galette, you can simply transfer the circle to the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with the goat cheese, reserving 1 Tb for garnish.

4.  Wring the greens dry.  Scatter on the bottom of the tart.  Starting at the middle, spiral out the beets.  I started with the red in the middle because they were smaller than the golden.  Do whichever feels right to you.  Bake until the crust is baked and slightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Allow to cool before removing from tart ring.  Slice and serve either room temperature or slightly warmed.

Serves 6 to 8

Difficulty rating  :-0