Yield: 6 servings. Active preparation time 45 minutes, total time 2 hours 15 minutes.
I make 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.
- 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
- Preheat oven to 350°. Arrange beets in a baking dish and add water to reach a depth of ½”. Cover dish with foil and bake until beets are tender, about 1 ½ hours. When cooled, peel and slice into wedges.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add caulifolower 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.