Recipe: Gratin of Greens and Smoked Cheese

I've been harvesting a lot of beets from my garden plot to clear out space for summer crops. I've noticed that most people buying beets at my neighborhood farmers' market immediately discard their beet greens, but they're very good to eat. Beets are botanically related to chard, and beet greens can be prepared in the same manner as chard.

In this recipe, I'm using a bechamel sauce to add some richness to the greens. Smoked cheese and herbs make this dish savory enough to satisfy meat-eaters, and baking it in a gratin dish with bread crumbs provides form and a nice textural contrast.

2 cups milk
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
a few sprigs of thyme (optional)
1 1/2 pounds of beet greens, chard, or spinach, washed and well drained
1/4 cup buter (1/2 stick) + enough to butter the baking dish
1/4 cup flour
8 ounces smoked mozzarella or another smoked cheese
2 cups bread torn into rough pieces, preferably from a rustic loaf
3 Tbs. olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a gratin dish or baking dish.

2. Reserve a teaspoon of thyme leaves. Put 3 cloves of garlic and the remaining thyme into a small saucepan with the milk. Over low heat, bring the milk to steaming. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and allow the aromatics to steep in the milk.

3. Tear the greens as needed into large pieces. Place the greens in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight lid over low heat. If you've just washed the greens, there should be enough residual moisture to cook the greens. If you're using pre-packaged, washed and dried greens, add 1/4 cup of water. Turn the leaves over occaisionally and stir until the greens are tender.

4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for about a minute over low heat. Strain the hot milk into the butter and whisk until smooth. Continue stirring and cook over medium heat until the sauce has thickened.

5. Stir the cheese, greens, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and any pot liquor from the greens into the sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pour the mixture into the gratin dish.

6. In the food processor, pulse the bread, olive oil, reserved garlic and 1/4 tsp. of salt until you get coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the gratin.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes until the gratin is bubbling and nicely browned.