An important & easy how-to for beets
As I reread this article, I considered how much more prevalent beets are in my life. It’s a fairly regular occasion that I roast beets for use in some dish on our menu. I also almost always have a jar of pickled beets in the fridge for a quick afternoon snack. While I use beets regularly, it’s been a while since I created a new beet recipe. That all changed the other week when I decided to try my hand at beet tzatziki.
Keep reading to learn more about this recipe, originally published in June 2010.
Last week I wrote about my Beet & Orange Salad, which I thought was quite delicious. However, I have to admit that I didn’t always feel that way about beets. When I was a kid, I turned up my nose at the offer of any sort of cooked beets. I don’t think I ever tried one, I just guessed that they must taste pretty bad.
Fast forward a few years to a dinner at a restaurant where I chose a salad that had beets on it. The other ingredients looked so tempting, I decided that it was worth eating beets. That is where I made the delayed discovery that beets are quite tasty.
Since then I have enjoyed adding them to dishes. When I first used them in my cooking, I didn’t think about roasting my own beets. I found great roasted baby beets at a local grocery store and used them. However, last summer I saw freshly picked beets at a farm and decided that I should start roasting my own beets.
Thankfully, I was correct in that decision. Roasting beets is ridiculously simply, but (There always is a but, isn’t there?) removing the peel is quite messy. So, as long as you don’t mind wearing an apron and having a lovely purple hue added to your fingers, this is an easy talent to add to your kitchen prowess.
- 1 bunch beets, tops removed
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Wash beets, and wrap in heavy duty foil (or two layers of regular aluminum foil).
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until beets can be pierced with a fork.
- Allow beets to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using a paper towel, rub the skin off of the beets.
- Cool for an additional 20 minutes before slicing.
- Use in your chosen recipe, or store in the refrigerator.
- WARNING: Your hands will become quite purple when handling the warm, peeled beets.
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