ROASTED BEETS WITH GARLIC-BEET PURéE

Roasted Beets with Garlic-Beet Purée image

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 7

6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 medium beets (about 1 pound)
1/2 pound boiling potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 to 6 tablespoons water

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Wrap garlic cloves together tightly in foil. Trim beet stems to 1 inch if necessary and scrub beets. Wrap beets together tightly in foil. Roast garlic and beets in middle of oven until garlic is soft, about 30 minutes. Remove garlic from oven and continue to roast beets until very tender, about 45 minutes more. In a saucepan cover potatoes with cold salted water and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and keep warm, covered.
Unwrap garlic and peel skin from cloves, transferring garlic to a food processor. Unwrap beets carefully and, when cool enough to handle, slip off skins and stems and discard. Reserve 1 beet. Quarter remaining beets and add to processor. Peel and halve potatoes. Add potatoes to processor with vinegar and milk and pulse until mixture is just smooth (do not over-process or potatoes will become gluey).
Transfer purée to cleaned saucepan and stir in lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat purée over low heat, stirring, until hot. Stir in 2 tablespoons water and add enough remaining water to reach desired consistency. Cut reserved beet into 8 wedges and serve with purée.