Beets and blue cheese are damn tasty together and they live quite nicely in this dip that is a crowd-pleaser with vegetarians and dirty meat eaters.  Stick a chicken wing in and you’ll know what I mean.  By the way, check out how pretty this ceramic bowl is!  It was made by my friend Tina who runs Little Cat Pottery in the Highland Park neighborhood in Los Angeles.  She also took the photo, so basically all I did was show up and make some dip.

Ingredients:

1 medium golden beet, scrubbed
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. blue cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
A few dashes Tabasco
Juice of ½ lemon
Buttermilk, added to desired consistency
1 clove garlic, minced
2 scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roast the beet until a pairing knife can easily be inserted into the center. Remove from the oven, let cool and peel.

Mix together the next six ingredients, then slowly add the buttermilk; more for a thin dip or dressing, less for a thick dip. Add the garlic, scallions and grate the beet into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Serve with crudite, chips, crackers or bread.  Oh yeah, chicken wings too.