Beet and Goat Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

Not too long after my first daughter was born, I visited my dad and his wife down in Texas where they had landed for a job. We went to lunch at the home of a friend of theirs, a woman with a few young children of her own. As we were swapping Emergency Room stories (if you have children, you've got 'em) she told one about when her son was a toddler and had tumbled into the fireplace surround and split his forehead open. She recalled in her sweet drawl "I had turned around just for a second to take a pan of biscuits out of the oven and....." I didn't hear another word. The casualness with which she said it. As though it was something she did ALL THE TIME, everyday, making biscuits. Like emptying the dishwasher or grabbing the mail.  My head swam. I murmured some sympathetic noises about her son's cracked open head wanting to get back to those biscuits. How do you make them? Is it hard? How long does it take? Do you have any here now?

It was not to be. She served soup and salad and we never got to talk about all I usually want to talk about (besides books and movies), food. Specifically this glorious beacon of the south, the biscuit. If you are a devoted reader of this blog (mom) you'll recall I finally nailed a good biscuit recipe last spring. Why not make a savory sandwich out of it? Beets that are fried for a little texture, beet greens or arugula for crunch, red onions (pickled or not) for tang, goat cheese for creamy and balsamic for acid. If you have a bit of crispy bacon or pancetta on hand and want to add that too, I won't mind.

Biscuit Sandwich: Beet and Goat Cheese

Makes 4 sandwiches (plus extra biscuits)

4 biscuits (from this recipe or one you like)
2 large (softball) or 3 medium (baseball) beets
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly*

3 cups (approx.) beet greens or arugula, sliced into ribbons

4 ounces goat cheese

* You can quick-pickle these if you like that flavor - just combine sliced onions with 1/4 cup balsamic, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit for an hour before using. 

1. Preheat oven to 400ª
2. Wash and trim beets. Place in a covered casserole dish with a 1/2 cup of water across the bottom and bake until tender (1 hour). When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Lightly salt and pepper both sides.
3. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in heavy frying pan until hot. Add beets in one layer and cook for 4 minutes or until a little brown. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
4. Take pan off heat and add garlic and balsamic (careful, it will sputter and emit a nasal clearing cloud) - whisk to combine then add remaining olive oil and whisk again.
5. Split a biscuit and layer in goat cheese (don't try and spread it or it will tear - just put chunks on the bottom), a few beet slices, onions and greens. Drizzle a few teaspoons of balsamic sauce over and top with the other biscuit half. Repeat with remaining biscuits.