The People's Reciplex

Roasted Beets

I like and eat just about all foods. And though I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I especially like vegetables that are naturally sweet – winter squash, sweet potatoes, slow-roasted onions, etc. But despite all this, I believed until fairly recently that I didn’t care for beets. I was so wrong. They’re one of those foods that’s just delicious, unadorned and on their own.
Roasting them is very simple. Try it. If you think you don’t like beets, you might change your mind.
Beets don’t just come in that shocking beet-red color, though that’s probably what you’ll find at the supermarket. Orange ones are particularly pretty, the white ones might fool people into thinking they’re potatoes. They all have similar flavors. But anything with as much color as a typical red beet just has to be full of vitamins. If you’re on the Atkins diet, you’re not supposed to be eating things like beets, which means you should get off it.
Beets*
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
*You can buy them by the bunch, in which case cut off the greens and use those for something else, or loose.
Heat up the oven. Temperature’s not critical, so if you’re cooking something else, they can go in alongside that something else. 350 is probably a good temp. otherwise.
Cut off beet greens or tough tops, and scrub those babies under running water. They don’t need to look nice, but get them clean.
Cut beets in half, and then slice into wedges, number will depend on how big each of the beets is. The size & thickness of your cuts will also determine how quickly they get cooked.
Take a casserole-type baking dish large enough to hold beets so that they’re not too heavily layered, and coat bottom with a bit of olive oil. Add beets, and a bit more oil, toss to coat.
Bake. Check and stir every 10-15 minutes or so, until tender (when you can cut one with a fork). Probably between 30-45 minutes but it’s tough to know. If you lose patience, they can be finished in the microwave pretty quickly.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, and serve. They also take well to a splash of vinegar or lemon juice before serving.
Don’t wear white if you’re a clumsy eater.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2003 at 6:30 pm and is filed under side dishes.

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