Red and Gold Beet Gratin with Greens by Aquarius

3 medium red beets with their greens
3 medium gold beets with their greens
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese*
1/4 pound Prima Donna gouda cheese, grated**
4 egg yolks, beaten
Salt, pepper, and parsley to taste
1/2 cup Ritz or other wheaty crackers, crumbled
Dash grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 400°. Cut the ends off each beet, and wrap them in foil packets with a drizzle of olive oil (optional: include an onion or a shallot and some whole herbs such as rosemary for extra flavor). Put them in the oven to roast. Go teach the neighborhood kids to play with matches for half an hour or so while the beets are roasting.

Remove the beets from the oven and drop the heat to 375°. Allow the beets to cool. Meanwhile, combine the cheeses, egg yolks, salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl. Set aside.

Pick out any brown or spotty leaves from the greens, and thoroughly rinse the rest. Roughly chop the greens. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the greens and garlic until thoroughly wilted and fragrant. Combine with cheese/egg mixture.

Peel the beets (they should peel easily after roasting) and slice them into thin rounds. Layer the red beets on the bottom of a lightly oiled glass, ceramic, or Corningware pan. Mix the yellow beets with the cheese, eggs, and greens.*** Pour the mixture over the red beets and top with the crackers and Parmesan.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

*Crazy random once-around-the-fridge cook that I am, I used cottage cheese because it's what I had on hand. But ricotta would probably be more traditional.

**It's a rather strong aged gouda. Can't find it? Fontina, Gruyère, or a combination thereof will do ya fine.

***Why do it this way? Because if you mix the red beets in with the cheese, the whole thing will turn pink.