Martha Stewart Autumn Tian

Martha Stewart autumn tian takes 3 hours and beets, Yukon Gold potatoes and plum tomatoes to make a tender, caramelized layered vegetable side dish. It's an easy Thanksgiving side dish for fall dinners, holiday tables or Sunday suppers, and it's a simple make-ahead-friendly recipe.

Roast the beets wrapped in foil until a knife slides through, then cool them completely before slicing. Warm beets bleed and slump when you cut them, so the stacks lose their clean, colorful layers.

Martha stacks one slice each of potato, beet and tomato before shingling them into the dish, so every bite gets all three. Baking covered first and then uncovered steams the vegetables tender before the tomatoes caramelize.

Martha Stewart Autumn Tian

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Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

30

minutes

Calories

250

kcal

Slices of roasted beets, potatoes and tomatoes overlap in a gratin dish over soft thyme onions. After a covered bake and an uncovered finish, the edges turn caramelized while the centers stay tender.

Ingredients

• 1 pound beets (about 3 medium), preferably a mix of red, golden, and Chioggia, trimmed and scrubbed
  

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
  

• 1 pound plum tomatoes (about 3), cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices
  

Directions

• Roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400°F, then wrap the 1 pound of trimmed, scrubbed beets tightly in parchment-lined foil. Roast them on a baking sheet for about 1 hour 20 minutes until tender.
• Slice the beets: Let the beets cool completely, then peel them and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Cooling first keeps the slices neat and the color from running.
• Prep the onions: Raise the oven to 425°F, then toss the thinly sliced onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil and half of the thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and spread it across the bottom of a 3-quart gratin dish.
• Build the stacks: On a cutting board, stack 1 slice each of potato, beet and tomato, then season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining vegetables, keeping each stack separate.
• Shingle the vegetables: Transfer the stacks into the dish and overlap them slightly in a circle. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil.
• Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with parchment-lined foil and bake for 30 minutes. The trapped steam softens the potatoes and beets while the tomatoes start to release their juices.
• Bake uncovered: Uncover the dish and drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Bake about 35 minutes more until the vegetables are tender and the tomatoes are caramelized.
• Cool and serve: Let the tian cool slightly before serving. That short rest helps the layers hold together when you scoop them out.

Tools for this recipe

• Benriner Japanese mandoline, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Nordic Ware half sheet pan, Partanna Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, 1 liter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make autumn tian ahead of time?

You can roast and slice the beets a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Then assemble and bake the tian the next day, which saves over an hour on the day you serve it.

Do I have to use three kinds of beets?

No, the mix of red, golden and Chioggia beets is mostly for color. Plain red beets work fine, though they'll stain the potatoes and tomatoes a little pinker.

How do I store and reheat leftover tian?

Cover leftovers and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, since the microwave makes the tomatoes watery.

Can I use a different baking dish?

A 3-quart round or oval gratin dish is what the recipe calls for. A 9x13 baking dish works if you shingle the stacks in neat rows instead of a circle.

What's the most common mistake with this dish?

Slicing the beets while they're still warm is the big one, because they smear and tear. Cutting the potatoes and tomatoes to the same 1/4-inch thickness also helps everything cook evenly.