Pollan makes a sauce gribiche for this dish by whisking 2 hardboiled-egg yolks into olive oil, then adding 2 chopped egg whites into the finished salsa.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 medium beets (about 1 pound)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets (about 6 cups)
  • 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thickly sliced (about 3 cups)
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 Tbsp. brined capers, drained and roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped cornichons (French gherkins)
  • 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Directions

Active time: 45 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange beets in a baking dish and add water to reach a depth of ½ inch. Cover dish with foil and bake until beets are tender, about 1½ hours. When cooled, peel and slice into wedges.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to a colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Return water to a boil and repeat process with leeks.

In a medium bowl, stir together oil, parsley, capers, cornichons, zest, ¾ tsp. salt, pepper, and garlic to make a salsa verde.

Arrange beets on a large serving platter and drizzle 3 Tbsp. salsa verde on top. Toss cauliflower and leeks with 6 Tbsp. salsa verde and scatter over beets, then drizzle remaining salsa verde over top. Serve at room temperature.

More Recipes from Michael Pollan
From the April 2013 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

NEXT STORY

Next Story