waste not, want not: beet greens & fried potatoes topped with a poached egg

It’s a real shame that people don’t eat beet greens. When I was talking to my dad last weekend and I prepared him Swiss Chard for the first time (which he loved), I told him that the chard was very similar in taste to beet greens. “Beet greens?”, He said, “I just throw those out at the supermarket!” What a waste. I’m gonna let you in on a little secret….beet greens are delicious. Really.

I made this meal after a trip to the green grocer. I bought two bunches of fresh local beets and I used the beets to make a tangy salad. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the greens, but when dinner reared it’s head a couple days later, I pulled the greens out of the crisper along with a couple of potatoes and decided to fry the two together. The idea for the poached eggs came moments later when the beet greens shrunk considerably while sauteing, leaving the meal less hearty than I had hoped for. The eggs were a good call, making the meal an ideal rustic home-style dinner that would work equally well for a brunch.

I used proscuitto in this recipe, but you could easily leave it out for a vegetarian dish or sub in some salty feta instead for a nice bite. I’ve made beet greens before and I’ll make them again. Hopefully you will too.

22 comments to “waste not, want not: beet greens & fried potatoes topped with a poached egg”

  1. 1
    VeggieGirl   September 13, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    So vibrant!

  2. 2
    Bijoux   September 13, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    Beet greens are a popular staple in Greek cuisine and they were always served in my household on Sundays with fried fish. It is common practice in Greek cuisine to overcook the greens, to the point that they are limp and don’t require much chewing 😀 Nevertheless, I enjoy beet greens with olive oil and oodles of lemon juice, a chunk of salty feta, some olives, a few anchovies and a ripped off corner of a baguette loaf. So good!

  3. 3
    Gingerly   September 13, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    I love the beet greens! I just picked up some beets at the market this morning, so I think I might try your poached eggs with them – looks yummy!

  4. 4
    Spare Ribbon   September 13, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    That sounds good and it’s pretty healthy!

  5. 5
    Helen   September 14, 2008 at 4:38 am

    I absolutely love beet greens and they are on of the treats of my vegetable box as the beets always have their greens attached. I love making meals like this and we often have some sort of veggies mid-week with a poached egg on top. It’s like the poached egg makes a meal out of anything!

  6. 6
    Dawn   September 14, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    You are so good for always preparing such healthy, yet tasty meals & snacks. I need to adapt more of this thinking…

  7. 7
    Cakespy   September 14, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    I’ve never had beet greens!! I think it’s time to give them a try though, this sounds wonderful!

  8. 8
    Mari   September 14, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    I’m a big fan of all greens and without a doubt that includes beet greens. I really like the combo with poached egg!

  9. 9
    Shannon   September 14, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    I’ve been meaning to try beet greens, this looks fantastic!

  10. 10
    kickpleat   September 14, 2008 at 6:05 pm

    it is indeed, thanks, veggiegirl!

    yeah, it’s pretty healthy, spare ribbon. but it’s also really delicious!

    bijoux, i’ll bet they’re great with feta! what isn’t?

    let me know if you give this a try, gingerly!

    i agree, helen, about poached eggs making a meal. definitely.

    thanks dawn, i try! i don’t always succeed, but i do try 🙂

    cakespy, what are you waiting for?! get to it.

    mevrouw, it’s great with the egg! yum.

    ttfn300, give it a go. why wait?

  11. 11
    Rachel   September 15, 2008 at 3:55 am

    We love beet greens! We eat them all the time-I think they are even tastier than chard.

  12. 12
    I am a Tornado ~ proven fact!   September 15, 2008 at 1:13 am

    YUM!

    A must try!

  13. 13
    Heather   September 15, 2008 at 10:21 am

    I’d love to see your tangy beet salad recipe too!

  14. 14
    kickpleat   September 15, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    indeed, tornado!

    more than chard, rachel? hmmm, i think i’d call it neck and neck 🙂

    heather, i think my recipe was just roasted beets with orange juice, a touch of dijon, a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. yum!

  15. 15
    Jennie   September 16, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Beet greens! Who’d a thunk it. Sounds kinky. Must try!

    Fyi, I’ve been “invited” (meaning no pay) to write a food blog for a free newspaper in town (go figure). I may possibly be forced to use a recipe or two I’ve gotten from you. Would that be okay? Of course I’ll always refer to your site!

  16. 16
    kickpleat   September 17, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    jennie, congrats on the gig! get yourself some beet greens…totally unkinky 🙂

  17. 17
    Ange   September 19, 2008 at 11:53 am

    I love beet greens.

    A lot.

  18. 18
    kickpleat   September 29, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    Jae, yes, mugs will work! Give it a try 🙂

  19. 19
    Jae Young   September 29, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    I’d always wondered if the beet greens were edible cos I love me some beets but throwing out the greens seemed so wasteful. This recipe sounds AMAZING but I admit to being a bit of a poached egg virgin. I’m afraid they will just turn into soup, but I am psyched to try out your poached egg recipe. Would it work with mugs? I am lacking in tea cups, alas.

  20. 20
    danazia   June 10, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Oh boy does this get me going…drool… I love potatoes, eggs and beet greens! Thanks for the great idea and post.

  21. 21
    Alicen   July 14, 2010 at 5:40 am

    Beet greens are sold in grocery stores here in New Brunswick without the beets. They’re considered to be a separate vegetable – some people can’t wait for beet green season to start! It is funny to hear you say that most people just throw them out. Here people cut off the greens and throw out the beets!

  22. 22
    Lisa   September 16, 2010 at 4:26 am

    Beetroot and chard used to be the same vegetable, actually – which is why they taste so alike. It was a weedy little thing with a small root and some leafy stuff on top, and humans bred it and bred it until it turned into all the different shades of beetroot; the different types of chard; and sugar beets. We’ve done it with a lot of things we eat – like apples

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