I love sweet beets, the really really dark red ones.
I always threw away the tops but I figured I would try them today.
Here's what I did.
Roast cleanly washed beets all covered up in foil.
about 80 minitues at 375F depending on the size and how many, and how soft you like them. I used three different sizes, so wrapped up three portions taking the smallest ones first (25-30min).
Fork them to test tenderness.
Cool them and peel. They peel very easy once fully roasted.
Chop up the red stems and leaves.
Saute the stems in oil first with garlic and onion (or shallots), some salt and pepper.
The stems release red juice that stains just like the roots so be careful.
Add the leaves and put the lid on in low heat.
Ready in about 5 minutes. Do stir around a few time though.
Serve in on the plate and toss in some roasted beets sliced up.
Enjoy~
Taste pretty good too! I think I will always keep the leaves now.
Side note: the volume of leaves reduce significantly while cooking. The amount in the plate shown here was reduced as much as 4 times of the original volume of fresh leaves. take that into consideration.