Opted for the Real Thing

Once again, I threw in the towel and opted for the real thing. I have always been a fan of beets, although this isn't something I grew up eating, but, I never had the guts to make my own. Instead of taking on the challenge I took the easy route and opted for the canned stuff. Not to say there is anything wrong with the canned stuff and I too will still continue to use it when I do not have the luxury to roast my own. Never the less, after going to the farmer's since June and seeing the beautiful beets sitting there I realized it was my turn to take the plunge and opt for the real thing.

Through the guidance of both Jen and Kelsey I took on my own challenge to once again prove the real thing is the best thing. Here is the process I used to roast the beets I purchased at the Brewster, NY farmer's market.

Step one: Preheat oven to 375

Step two: Take fresh beets and remove the leaves (many people save the leaves to create other dishes, but during this experiment I didn't save the green

Step three: Scrub the skin and cut off the root ( do not be surprised if you see a little beet juice when you cut the root)

Step three: Pull out aluminum foil and place beets on top. Coat beets in EVOO and add salt and pepper as pictured.

Step four: Wrap beets in the aluminum foil as pictured.

Step five: Let cook about an hour or until beets are soft.

Step six: When beets are soft use the aluminum to "scratch" off the skin.

End result looks like:

Use beets however you please. I added them to salads throughout the week. One way you can could make uses the beets is with oranges and goat cheese and dress with an orange dressing.

As mentioned, I have learned the important lesson that the real thing is worth the work. The only thing I would do differently next time is to wrap each beet individually. I think that will help when taking off the skin.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and please make sure you send me your own stories on roasting beets.