Lavender Beets Roasted on the Grill


Beets are so under used in my opinion! They are rich in flavor and when cooked the right way have a beautiful texture. I’m growing several different types of beets in my garden right now so I’m trying to play with some different recipes before I harvest my own. The inspiration for this dish was a recent trip to the Spokane farmers market with my mother. We met the lavender lady, and her cooking lavender. They are so beautiful and come in all sorts of different colors. Basically she said where you would use rosemary try lavender, and wow how delicious it is! A sweeter more lighter flavor then rosemary. She also makes this delicious lavender salt mix with her secret ingredients.* My mother, who absolutely loves lavender, and I bought one of each lavender bush and the salt and went home to practice. For the last week, lavender has gone on eggs, pita chips, bread, you name it but when I discovered how magically lavender and sweet beets combine, it was over! I also love the way the grill adds a smokey flavor to the sweetness of the beets, which are naturally high in sugar so be careful of burning since grills can be all different temperatures just make sure to check and often.

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, minced
2 fresh lavender sprigs, finely chopped
1 tsp. lavender salt
2 fresh thyme sprigs, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter, cubed
2 Beets (for this I used the reddish purple types, but feel free to use any color you can find!) thinly sliced about 1/4”

Preparation:
Heat up the grill.

Mix together first six ingredients and salt and pepper to taste, make sure oil is incorporated with the vinegar.

Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil and place beets on it pour dressing over and mix together. Lay the butter on top. Close up packet and place on the grill for about 30 minutes (but this can vary start to check at about 20 minutes).

*The lavender salt mix is available form Garden Gate Farms, http://www.gardengatelavendar.com/ its called “Spice of Life”

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This recipe screams with flavor. I love to cook with lavender and will be trying your beet recipe this weekend. I will let you know how how it works out. The concept sounds DELICOUS@