Beets are one of those things that people either love or hate. They've been coming back recently to farm-to-table restaurants, and I've had some great incarnations of them here in the South!
Please note that I do not like pickled beets, not even a little bit. I love pickled things, but beets are WAY better cooked in other ways. If you think you don't like beets, try them this way and I promise they won't be NEARLY as bad as you think!
Be aware, things will happen to your knife, hands, cutting board, and body if you eat beets. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Roasted Beets
I was making this for myself because Jay "doesn't eat things that taste like dirt," which, to be fair, beets kind of do. But they taste like dirt in a good way!
Anyways. I used three medium beets and it made two servings.
Look at these lovelies! First, turn your oven to 400F if you have an hour to cook them, 425 or 450 if you're in more of a hurry.
I peel my beets, but I'm not sure if that's necessary, The skin is super thin, so you could probably just scrub them and go with it, like a potato - the skin is your choice! Anyway, cut off the tops and bottoms of the beets, peel them (if you're into that), and cut them into big chunks.
See how purple and amazing they are? Lovely! Put them in some sort of apparatus that can go in an oven (I'm using a round cake pan because that's the right size for my dang beets), and cover them in salt (generously, these guys are really sweet!) and 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, depending on how many beets you're using.
Yum! Now put the pan in the oven and let the beets roast away! These were about 1.5 inch pieces and took 50 minutes - the cooking time will vary based on how hot your oven is and how small your pieces of beet are. I'd say check them starting after 25 minutes with a fork. The beets will be tender like a cooked carrot and kind of black on the edges when they're done.
Yayyyy beets! You could use this cooking method with any sturdy vegetable that you like - it's great! I served these with salad and tater tots and will accept no judgment for the latter choice. They were delicious and had cheese in them. I also crumbled some goat cheese over the beets which gave a great contrast with the salty cheese and sweet beets!
Roasted beets would go really well with Israeli couscous or over pretty salad greens with pickled onion salad.
Those are pine nuts, capers, and crumbled bacon on my salad. They were all great choices.
Enjoy these, and please don't take a sick day after you eat them - you're fine, I promise.
Ooh..delicious. I'm a sucker for anything with beetroot in. What a great looking recipe though - thanks for the inspiration!
It's so easy and if you already like beets you'll LOVE these. Let me know how they turn out!
Put me down in the LOVE category. I roast 3-4 a week, unpeeled and whole, in my oven. It takes about an hour on 350. I put them in a glass dish with a list, but you could use foil and wrap them like potatoes. They are super easy to peel after they cool. I chop them up and make salads out of them. My fav is white onion, cilantro, beets, and fresh lemon juice.
I'm trying that ASAP. Thanks for the tip!
p.s. your lice story CRACKED me up.