Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Beet Love!

Beet Love!

While I was playing around with beet recipes I realized how easily I've dismissed the preparation with words like "roast a bunch of beets" as if everyone is going to know how to do that. While second nature to me now, I still do remember the first time I was faced with a bunch of fresh beets and wondered where to begin.

Beet Love!
I'm not going to tell you that if you've always hated beets, you will suddenly love them home roasted. But I will say that I think canned beets taste like... can. So if you're willing, try it my way once before you write off this delicious and supremely nutritious veggie.

Beet Love!
Most of the time, the beets I find in the market are red but I do have a gourmet mart nearby that sells the golden variety. Rarer still is when I find candy stripe beets and I can never pass those up. The differences in flavor are subtle but the visual appeal is fun. Today I found these plump golden specimens, just begging to come home with me.

Beet Love!
Begin by cutting off the top greens and a bit off the bottom tail of the beets. I do this on a cutting board in the sink because the beets grow in soil and are very gritty. Rinse the soil and grit off the beets and pat them dry with a paper towel. Wrap the beets tightly in aluminum foil. Make sure all the ends are sealed, use more than one foil and line your baking pan with some foil as well. Beets tend to leak sticky juice when they roast and you don't want to have to clean that off every surface of your oven.

Beet Love!
Place the pan into a 400 degree oven and roast for anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. To check for doneness, carefully unwrap the foil (watch out for hot steam) and insert the tip of a sharp knife into the largest beet. It should penetrate easily. If done, remove them from the oven, open the foil wrap and leave them to cool enough to be handled. Once cool, use a paring knife to peel the beets. The peel will come off very easily.

Now you have delicious roasted beets waiting to be sliced and incorporated into any number of preparations. Sometimes I'm lazy and just cut them into slices, pour some sherry vinegar over them, add some thinly sliced red onions and toss on some crumbled goat or feta cheese. The tang of sharp cheese and the bite of the onion and vinegar go so well with the naturally sweet beets. I'll eat this as a salad, side dish or just a snack while I decide what to cook for dinner.

Golden Beet Salad
But when I'm not lazy, I dice my beautifully roasted beets, whip up a creamy dressing and then add lots of fresh herbs, cheese and nuts to make one of my favorite Golden Beet Salad.

Roasted Beet Napoleon
For a heartier dish, I combine red and golden beet slices into a tower with herbed goat cheese, mixed greens and home candied walnuts to make a Roasted Beet Napoleon.



So I hope you try these dishes and like them as much as we do.  Enjoy!

20 comments:

  1. Canned beets suck. I LOVE fresh ones, especially oven roasted. And I never knew how many different kinds there actually were until we started frequenting the local farmers market. Now I'll go whip up some lunch... LOL

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  2. I was so pleasantly surprised when I gave roasted beets a try last year after only ever trying canned pickled beets - they are delicious, and SO beautiful! Thanks for the tips!

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  3. I had to pin that beet napoleon b/c it looks so tasty :-)

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  4. Beets tend to have their own unique sweetness that come out just by simply roasting them. And the color! Oh, so gorgeous, too!

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  5. Your golden salad recipe sounds tempting! So beautiful. I love beets, but prefer the dark purple variety and use it in many preparations, boiled, roasted, and raw. I never tried golden beets, and now I will. :)
    Canned beets come as a rescue for a quick salad (of course it will not be as good as freshly boiled or roasted): grated beets, some chopped walnuts and prunes, a bit of minced garlic, and mayo.
    Now I have to make a trip to get some golden beets. :)

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  6. I love beets, especially roasted. The Napoleon looks awesome.

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  7. I have always said that root veggies are great when roasted. However, I have not moved forward yet with beets-not sure why. However your recipes and photos here do inspire. I will keep an eye out for the golden beets!

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  8. These beets do look simply delicious - Looks like I need to start liking beetroot :)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  9. Beets grow like crazy here and our farmer's markets are filled with them in the spring. I roast mine the same as you- so easy and so, so goood!

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  10. Oh, I love beets...and now I'm craving a beet, walnut and goat cheese salad :)

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  11. I've never had a golden beet! But I love the red ones!

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  12. I don't think I've ever roasted beets before! Thanks for the tutorial on these gorgeous spring vegetables!

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  13. Love beets, they are so underrated!

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  14. Lovely beets, I'd like to be able to find the gold ones. The roasted beet napoleon sounds wonderful.

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  15. Wonderful post! I absolutely LOVE beets and roast them regularly! I am glad to see I am not the only one out there that loves them so much! Thanks for the wonderful tips!!

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  16. Roasted roots always have great flavor and make for a delicious treat. Lovely post, Anita.

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  17. Love all beets roasted, not easy to find the red swirled ones. I like to roast them with garlic, s/p & a little olive oil. Serve them as an antipasto (if I don't eat them all before getting to the table).

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