I’ve eyed the beets at my Greenmarket the last couple of weeks and finally grabbed a couple bunches. They are pretty only in a Tim Burton way with their dark, dirty flesh, red veined leaves and hairy roots. But unlike most, I’ve always liked beets. I like them from a can just fine. Heated with butter and salt and pepper they are delicious. I like them cut up on a salad. I loved the way they turned blue cheese dressing pink when I’d eat some at a salad bar when I was a kid. I never really liked pickled beets. They’re okay but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and prefer a savory version. My mom made harvard beets—cooked with vinegar, salt, pepper and cornstarch. I’m not a fan (sorry Mom) but I understand why people like the sweet and sour, smooth sauce that is created.
My fresh beets just needed to be roasted. I cut the tops off pretty close to the actual beets without getting into the flesh and saved the greens for cooking later. I sealed the beets up in some foil with a little room for them to steam themselves and cooked them for an hour at 450 degrees. Some of the juices caramelized on the inside of the foil which made them smell great. I let them cool enough to peel them. The skins slipped off easily and they came out shiny and fleshy with juice that could pass for blood. My cutting board looked like a crime scene. I ate some just as they were which is probably how I should always eat them. I used the rest to make a salad with some fresh corn and a lot of other ingredients that I’ll post later. I read that beets are in season through November so I’ll thankfully have a long season to roast some more.
