Roasted beetroot

Ok, in answer to yr question Alex - nothing could be simpler than roasting beetroot. Little effort, big reward (the type of cooking I like, lazybones that I am).

- Take some fresh beetroots, preferrably from some loved one's garden, scrub the dirt off them and discard the leaves and stalks.
- Peel them and watch your fingers turn an attractive pink.
- Chop into manageble chunks (this is dictated a little by what you will be eating them with - a roast that will be a long time in the oven: big chunks which won't burn with the longer cookign time; want a roasted beet fix in a hurry: small chunks etc etc).
- Splash with olive oil and some vinegar-esque type stuff: I use red wine vinegar, because it has a clearer taste that the caramelly balsamic. Shallot vinegar would be good, too. Toss chunks and add a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Bung the dish in the oven and roast the buggery out of it (a medium to hot oven) until cooked (try piercing one with a sharp knife). But don't let them burn!
- Excellent with roasts, in fritattas etc but also good in a mixed salad. Don't forget how spectacularly well beetroot goes with goats' cheese, so a leafy green salad with beetroot and goat's cheese is pretty luscious.

PS. Don't be alarmed by the *ahem* aftermath of eating a lot of beetroot at once - it tends to be same colour going out as it is going in : )

Comments

[Lisa]

Even easier--roast the beets whole and peel them afterwards.

[Michelle Robinson]

I was just givin a bag of fresh picked beets from a local farm and wanted a new idea on how to prepare them, love the roasting tips and will give it a whirl tonight.
cheers Michelle

[Mil]

The leaves need to be more widely recognised as a veggie in their own right I think! Next time you have beetroot instead of discarding the leaves treat them like chard and try frying them in olive oil and garlic. They're delicious and such a shame to waste.

[VValle]

I like to eat my beet leaves in a salad. If you don't like them tough you can blanch them but I like the texture just as they are. Try an orange/balsamic dressing.