I was disappointed for a second this week. Not because we were not given a theme(I love creative freedom) but because I could not find the ingredient I wanted to use in the kitchen this week. I was going to make a broccoli, topinambour soup but I had no high hopes. I have seen the ground veggie only once in this wonderful country of Germany, in a very well structured Bio shop.
So, obviously, I returned there. I had a feeling they would not have the veggie, it is not the season, so my brain was trying to come up with a solution and when I saw the beets in the basket I immediately remembered how in my childhood my grandpa used to grom three things, carrots, potatoes, and beets. In the winter they would stay in a hole made in the ground, covered by fir branches.
Latvians are not big on fancy dishes. We like them potatoes boiled with soft minced meat sauce and some salad on the side. We use sour cream everywhere. We eat eggs. For breakfast, lunch and dinner(not really, now I am exaggerating) and we have a million ways to make a potato, so, the veggie I chose this week was beet and, under it, some potatoes.
I was thinking of boiled potatoes with that meaty sauce at first but, the thing is, I am trying to cook and eat healthier. So, when I saw the beets I decided to go full-in veggies and a little bit of protein filled eggs boiled without eggshell.
I made a lot of food, probably for 6 people(all of us were not home, there might be leftovers) and it took me little under an hour. It was a hit and I loved the soft potatoes with the sweet dash of beets.
Ingredients
For the oven baked potatoes and beets
A lot of potatoes (around 15)
1 kg beets
olive oil
coconut oil
salt, pepper, a dash of paprika pice and an unidentified sauce
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
For egg
1 egg per person
salt
Water
vinegar(will not affect the taste of egg)
For salad
1 big or 2 small heads of Chinese cabbage
Salt
Mayonaise or a salad dressing that you love(oils, seeds, everything works here as long as you like it. This is the only salad that I love with mayonnaise, it is my go-to way of doing it.
This is a very easy recipe to make, what you have to do first is wash all of the veggies, scrub them clean(we are not peeling the potatoes
Cut the potatoes in dices, as big as you are comfortable with and put them in a big bowl
Peel the beets and cut them into pieces that are similar in size to the potatoes, add them in the same bowl
The amazing thing about beets is that they are sweet. Not only sugarbeets that sugar is made from but also the red goddesses. They have a unique flavor and therefore there is potential to use them in a lot of dishes
I had to prepare the mix twice, you too can separate the veggies into halves
Because I had so much, I mixed my mix twice and poured the insides in a baking pan, then mixed them again
Now, before you add spices, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and take the biggest and deepest pan you have, cover it with a baking sheet
To the veggie bowl. Add all of the spices you love and know compliment each other, cut an onion into slices and drop it in there. Mince garlic cloves and sprinkle the contents in. Add oils according to what you see to be the optimal amount and mix it all together.
Pour that mixture(twice if you have a small bowl) into the pan and spread out evenly
Put the pan in the oven for around 45 minutes if you want your veggies to be soft as a cloud
While your hands are free, you can cut up the salad. Two versions of it were made in my home today, a vegan one and a mayo one for me. I made the mayonnaise salad my boyfriend did the healthy version
There is nothing hard about salad. Just cut it like in the picture below. I check all my salads for sourness, just in case. I do not really know if the white parts of Chinese lettuce can be distasteful(I think they can) so I always taste them before dumping them in my bowl
Here is how the Chinese Lettuce is cut. All that is left to do is add Mayo and salt
Now you will have a free moment because the eggs should be made just 10 minutes before the potatoes are ready
Take a small pot and fill it with water. Bring the water to boil and put the heat down so there are no bubbles
Take a small mug and beat an egg into it, be careful, the yellows should stay intact
Now, to the water that is still on the heat but not bubbling. Add salt to it and vinegar, a little extra more of it, it will help the egg white ''hug'' the yellow
Mix everything and let the water calm down, then pour the egg slowly(The water temperature has to be high for this to work)
A bonus image of me becoming permanently pinkier :D
The egg will work its magic and start hugging the yellow, let it be. Depending on how drippy you want your egg to be, leave it in the water for 4 to 8 minutes
I love my eggs drippy! Yummm...
Now, when the veggies are ready, put them on a plate and add the egg on top(you will be able to scoop it out)
The salad comes on the side and it adds an extra flavor to the dish. I loved this one and I restricted myself from meats this time. I know an egg is not completely vegan(not at all) but you can replace it with your favorite item. Nuts should go nicely with the dish.
I would not change anything about this wonder of mine, it was delish and I recommend. Do not trust me, try it out!
Have an amazing day, today, tomorrow and forever,
Linda