The perfect springtime hors d’oeuvre
These open-faced sandwiches, known as tartines, showcase the entire beet. The vegetable itself is thinly sliced and layered on top of toasted bread, along with the sautéed stems and greens. “Buy organic, young beets and look for healthy, tender leaves,” recommends New York City–based recipe developer Laura Rege. For a bold, colorful presentation, combine golden and red beets. Though this recipe calls for both flaky sea salt and regular, feel free to use one or the other, if you don’t have both. Prepare them in advance as party finger food—they’ll hold up well at room temperature.
Directions
Step 1
Using a knife, trim off stems and leaves from beets and set aside. Scrub beets well to remove any dirt.
Step 2
Place beets in a small or medium pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender and easily pierced with a knife, about 25 minutes. Drain beets and rinse with cold water. When cool enough to handle, remove skins and thinly slice.
Step 3
Meanwhile, wash leaves and stems well and thoroughly dry. Remove stems from leaves and finely dice. Tear or roughly chop greens into 1-to-2-inch pieces, you should have about 2 packed cups.
Step 4
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high and add the shallot and beet stems. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot and stems are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beet greens and ¼ cup water. Cook, tossing, until the greens are wilted and the water evaporates, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Step 5
In a medium bowl, whisk the tahini with the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Spread toasts with the tahini. Top with greens and beets. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, then garnish with flaky sea salt and cilantro leaves. Cut each tartine into four pieces.