Rosemary’s Beets with Hazelnuts and Basil

This rustic beet side from Alex of The New Baguette was inspired by a side dish at Rosemary’s in New York City. Ideally, the recipe uses baby rainbow beets from the farmers market, but if the farmers market isn’t practical, feel free to use regular supermarket beets. The hazelnuts are crucial to the success of this beet side dish. You can buy them pre-roasted, but roasting them yourself makes a huge difference. You can typically find raw hazelnuts at the bulk bin section of any store. Blanched raw hazelnuts are best because the skins have already been removed. If you can’t find blanched, you may remove the skins by rolling freshly roasted hazelnuts under your palms in a kitchen towel.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds baby rainbow beets, scrubbed
• 3/4 cup raw hazelnuts
• About 7 large basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place the beets in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer with the lid ajar until tender, about 25 minutes (large beets may take up to 45).

Meanwhile, arrange the hazelnuts in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. If your hazelnuts still have the skins on, place the nuts on one end of a kitchen towel and cover with the other end. Roll them under your palms to remove the skins. It’s okay if not all the skins come off.

When the hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, roughly chop them.

When the beets are done cooking, drain them and run the pot under cold water. Let the beets stand in cold water until cool (you may have to change the water). At this point the skins should be easy to slip off with your hands (wear gloves if you don’t want your fingers to turn red).

Cut the beets into 1-inch chunks and place in a bowl. Add the basil, oil, lemon juice, salt, and most of the hazelnuts. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the remaining hazelnuts.