Baked Potato Beets with Garlicky Yogurt and Shitake Bacon
These baked potato beets make for a festive single-serving side, or can be made with smaller beets as finger food bites for company. They're inspired by Union Square Cafe in New York City.
Servings 4 side servings
Ingredients
- 5 ounces shitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 4 medium beets about 1 1/2 pounds, scrubbed
- Sea salt
- 7 ounces full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325º F.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the shiitake slices with the oil and tamari. Arrange in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, redistributing the mushrooms every 15 minutes, until they’re medium brown and crispy.
- Meanwhile, tear 4 sheets of aluminum foil and place one beet in the center of each. Season lightly with salt and wrap so that they is no air escaping from the package. Careful not to puncture them so the beet juices don’t leak. Place the beet packets in a baking dish and roast for 45 minutes, alongside the mushrooms. Turn the heat up to 400 degrees and continue cooking until the skins are opaque and beginning to pucker, and a fork very easily pieces the flesh, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size. Set the beets aside until cool enough to touch.
- While the veggies roast, make the yogurt sauce: in a medium mixing bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of chives and stir until well-mixed.
- To serve, either cut the beets in half lengthwise or create a small divot on one side so there’s a well for the toppings to sit. I also shaved a small slice off the bottom so they sat nicely on the plate. Add a dollop of the yogurt, sprinkle with the remaining chives, and crush the shitake mushrooms with your hands over the tops like you would a crispy slice of bacon.
Notes
All the elements of this recipe are make-ahead and can be done separately over the course of a few days, which may be helpful if you're including them on a holiday menu. The beets can be roasted at a higher temperature - 375 degrees F, for 1 1/2 hours - the whole time to degrees the cook time if you aren't putting them in the oven at the same time as the shitakes.