How To Roast a Beet

When the beets get big and juicy I'm helpless to resist them. I'll sit in the grocery store or farmers market aisle imagining all the ways I could use them. Make a big ruby-hued pot of vinegary Borscht? Saute them into a sweet potato hash? More times than not I opt to simply roast them and make big, beautiful beet salads. I use a fool proof method for roasting and peeling beets thanks to Mr. Thomas Keller. Try it and after you see how easy it is, maybe you'll find yourself in the grocery store pondering all the ways you could use a beet. You'll never used canned again. Your eyes will be opened. You'll know too much to go back.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Step one- trim the leaves using kitchen shears. Cut the tops off leaving about an inch attached.

Step two- place beets two or three at a time in a row on a long piece of aluminum foil (heavy duty works best). For each aluminum foil package, drizzle to cover tops of beets with a few glugs of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Fold sides of aluminum foil up so the liquid won't leak out and add 2 tablespoons water.



Step three- quickly (before any water leaks out) pinch pieces of aluminum foil together to from a packet. Make sure everything is sealed tightly.


Step four- place packet into the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours or until beets are fork tender. Unless you have crazy large beets, they will be done.


Step five- let beets sit until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Rub each beet between paper towels until the skin slips off. Use more paper towels as needed.


You may need to cut the tops off the beets if they don't rub off on their own.

Now you are ready to slice, chop, or julienne your heart out.

How will you use a beet?