Charred Beets with Avocado Crema & Chile-Lime Salt

We’re feeling fall at the market! New greens and root vegetables are beginning to make an appearance, and I’m giddy with delight. But my new favorite ingredient of the moment isn’t chard – it’s char. I love the smoky, slightly exotic, haunting hint of bitterness it brings to almost any dish, and I’ve been exploring ways to incorporate it into all kinds of things. I’ve identified Francis Mallman, perhaps char’s biggest advocate, as a source of inspiration all summer. We’ve stoked fires and cooked over live coals for months now after watching him on the Netflix series “Chef’s Table”.

And now I’ve discovered some new poster kids for my favorite flavor: Eric Werner and Mya Henry are just as inspiring. At their restaurant, Hartwood in Tulum, they cook everything over a wood-fired grill and in a wood-burning oven. After losing myself in the pages of their lushly photographed new cookbook, I might or might not have spent an afternoon searching for flights to the Riviera Maya (shh, don’t tell my travel-weary husband!). It’s that incredible. Until I can hop a flight to a palapa under the stars, though, I will content myself with cooking every recipe in the book, beginning with this one. Sweet earthy beets take on char in a cast-iron skillet. Their bittersweet flavor is tempered by a rich, silky avocado crema and a sprinkle of tart and piquant chile-lime salt (you’ll want to start sprinkling this on everything, I promise). I honestly can’t remember the last time I tasted anything so fantastic – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Recipe adapted from Hartwood by Eric Werner & Mya Henry