In general, there are only a few things that freak me out. Spiders. Close proximity to cows (they're huge, people! not cool!). The Tower of Terror at MGM in Florida (seriously, Disney is being sued because a rider allegedly suffered brain damage). Did I mention spiders?

Finally, my fear - the red/purple food group. This would include pickled eggs, red velvet cake and beets. OK, now truth be told, r/p foods do not have the same effect that spiders do (which most recently included me levitating 3 ft. and balang on the toilet seat when a huge black spider charged at me. My husband was stuck between disgust and laughing his a** off). Pickled eggs: can't even bring myself to taste one. Red velvet cake: the anti-carrot cake of the cake world, as far as I'm concerned. Just have a chocolate cake, people! Beets: almost always covered in a tangy, sweet, sticky, icky coating. Just thinking of all three gives me full body shudders.

There comes a time when you must face your fears, and this week from the veggie co-op, we have beets. Seriously, I’m slightly alarmed. I’ve never been fond of them. Well, by never been fond of them, I mean I’ve just avoided them…at all costs.

Luckily, I have recently had a beet revelation. All hail The City Café in Baltimore. I love it. I read someplace that you can be have a meal there and see the Governor’s wife sitting at the table to your right and a drag queen at the table to your left. That is my type of restaurant! My hubby (Vud) and I went there before seeing Brian Regan a few months ago. And it was spectacular!! I couldn’t stop posting pictures of the food and I was in love with the dishes. I ordered the steak frites with a delish three-onion butter and fries. Did I mention the fries were covered in truffle oil and parmesan??? Excuse me for a second. I’m getting flushed. The dessert – well, that is something we will discuss in a later post because it deserves a post of its own. To the point of this post, Vud had the sesame-encrusted tuna…sitting on a bed of truffle mashed potatoes….with edamame and roasted beets sprinkled around its base. Le sigh.

So, faced with the aspect of using my beets, I have decided to recreate this dish. I didn’t have truffle oil on hand, so I went with a simple red mashed potato with butter, butter and more butter. And cream. I heart red potatoes because I can be completely lazy and leave the peel on. I loathe peeling potatoes! The edamame is easy. I steamed frozen beans and seasoned with some salt. I wanted the shelled ones from the produce section. Note to self – these babies sell out! If you want them in Frederick,you have to show up first thing in the morning and be prepared for a possible death cage match against other soybean lovers.

The beets take a long time to roast, which is good,because you can toss them in the oven and then have plenty of time to prepare your potatoes, beans and tuna! I have to admit, this was a night of fear for me. Besides the beets, I had to deal with tuna. I last tried to cook tuna 11 years ago. It went poorly! I bought it on a whim at the store with no idea how to cook it. I didn’t even look it up on the internet and had never had it at a restaurant. Needless to say, it was terrible…cooked not even within an inch of its life, but far past its life. It was horrifying and I still shudder a bit when I walk past tuna in the seafood department. But, enough is enough. Tuna is my fave to order out nowadays and I have to get over my fear of cooking it. And, get out, it was easy! I simply coated in some oil, honey and soy, encrusted in the sesame seeds, and about 30 seconds on each side in the pan. DONE! WOOT!

 This could be, quite possibly, the simplest dinner ever to make! From the short list of ingredients for all parts to preparation to execution, it was a pleasure. And would totally impress guests fo’ sho’! I am absolutely making it again and will play with a mashed potato truffle recipe for the future to really recreate my City Café heaven…without the 60 minute drive.

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Start with the beets first because they take the longest to cook!

Roasted Beets with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Trim the beet greens, wash off any dirt on the beets, and place them in tin foil. Roast at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until they're tender (the actual cooking time will depend on the size of the beets, but it will take a lot of effort to actually overcook them). Let cool, peel, and cut into small cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Potatoes next. They need to cook for a while, and once you have finished them, you can let them sit for an extended time with no consequences. You may need to add a bit more milk and mix it a little bit before serving if they seem dry.

Red Mashed Potatoes

• 4 med. peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1 1/2"pieces
• 1/3 c. 2 % milk
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 2 tbsp. butter (who am I kidding, I add about 3 times this! Start with 2, add to taste…or until heart spasms begin)
• salt and paper to taste

Cook potatoes in boiling water for 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine potatoes, milk, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper; mash with potato masher or beat with electric mixer about 1 minute or until almost smooth.

Edamame – Follow instructions for cooking on package.

Tuna next! Time it so you have completed the beets, edamame and potatoes before starting the tuna! You can fix the marinade ahead of time, but don't complete the tuna till you are almost ready to serve.

Sesame Tuna

• 1/ 2 Cup of Sodium Soy Sauce (I use a low sodium soy sauce)
• 1 Lime (Juice and Zest - If you want more lime flavor, add another)
• 1- 2 Cloves of Garlic Minced
• 2 Tablespoons of Honey
• 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
• 2 Tuna Steaks
• 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
• Sesame Seeds (1/4 each of black and white – I couldn’tfind the black ones, so I had to use all white)

Prepare the marinade, mixing the first 5 ingredients together.  Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. The oil should be hot but not smoking. While the pan is heating, arrange your sesame seeds on a flat dish. Place the tuna in the seeds pressing down across the steak ensuring the seeds are packed into the tuna nicely. Do this for all sides of the tuna. Add the tuna to the hot sauté pan and shake it a bit to make sure the tuna does not stick. Sear each side for 30 to 40 seconds. Slice tuna gently.

Final Preparation!

Place red mashed potatoes in middle of plate. Lift sliced tuna and place on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle beets and edamame around base of potatoes. Enjoy!!!