Roasting Beets

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Follow these steps to roast, peel and cut a beet into bite-sized pieces. If I know I want beets with dinner, I do this earlier in the day when I have time, or even the weekend before.

A friend of mine recently divulged that she loves beet salad but she has no idea how to get the beets from the store/farmer's market to her salad, so this one's for you, girl :)

What you'll need:

Vegetable brush (or any brush with stiff bristles)

Baking sheet

Aluminum foil

Wooden skewer

Chef's knife

Cutting board

Covered container for storage

Before scrubbing

Step 1

Adjust an oven rack to the center position of your oven and preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

If your beets came with the green tops still attached, cut these off with a knife or kitchen scissors. Don't throw these away! You can use them just as you would kale or any other hearty green (in a salad, sauteed, etc.). Using a vegetable/stiff-bristled brush, rinse your beet(s) under cool water and scrub to remove dirt.

After scrubbing

Step 2

Wrap each beet individually in pieces of aluminum foil. No special technique here, I simply place a beet on a square of tinfoil and gather it all up at the top. Close your foil packets tightly. Place beets on a rimmed baking sheet.

Note: although it doesn't bother me personally to cook food wrapped in aluminum foil, I know some people don't like to do this. If that is you, you can wrap your beets in parchment paper first and then proceed with the step above. The aluminum foil will still do it's job without touching your food.

Step 3

Place baking sheet in the oven (always push your baking sheet all the way to the back to get the most even heat).

Step 4

Start checking your beets after they've been roasting for 45 minutes. To do this, pull your baking sheet out of the oven and carefully open the foil of your smallest beet (if the smallest beet isn't done, you know the others aren't and don't have to check them all). Aluminum foil does not conduct heat so you can do this without worrying about oven mitts, but be aware that a little steam may come out and the beet itself will be very hot.

Use a wooden skewer to pierce your beet. You are looking for the feeling of sliding a skewer through a stick of room-temperature butter. If that is what you feel, that beet is done and can be removed from your baking sheet to cool on the counter (I leave it in the foil, but leave the foil opened). If your skewer meets a lot of resistance, wrap it back up and put your sheet back in the oven.

In these photos, my smallest beet measured 2.25 inches in diameter and was done at 45 minutes. The two medium-sized beets measured 2.5 inches in diameter and were done at 60 minutes. The largest beet measured 3 inches in diameter and was done at 70 minutes.

You're going to get some liquid coming out at the point of entry; this is okay

Step 5

Let your beets cool on the countertop until they can easily be handled (about 30 minutes, or more is fine but make sure you attend to them within 2 hours for food safety reasons).

You're going to see a little liquid oozing from the holes where you checked with the skewer, this is okay

Step 6

Use your fingers to rub the skins off your beets. They should come off super easily and you can discard them. You'll also be able to pop off the top and bottom at this point, too. I just use my thumb to slide them right off.

I don't mind my hands getting messy during this step and while cutting up my beets, but if you do you might opt to wear food-safe gloves. The color comes off after a few washes :)

Crime scene or roasting beets...you be the judge

Step 7

At this point, you could put your roasted beets in a covered container and store in the refrigerator whole for 3-5 days. Since my hands are already messy, I usually prefer to just dice them up at this point and then store them that way.

Slice beets in half lengthwise. If they're decently thick, I will then slice each half horizontally in half.

Next, I will lay the half (sliced or not) flat on my board and cut into 3-4 strips, then cut crosswise to come up with nice little bite-sized pieces.

Beets by Megz

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I love making a beet salad with a spring mix of lettuces, feta, goat or bleu cheese, toasted walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette.