Really good beets at home [topic digression moved from SF board]

[lintygmom]

If you want really good beets at home, take baby-small beets, cut just the greens end and bottom tip off, wrap in aluminum foil and bake until done. DO NOT BOIL--that loses the flavor. Cool and slice (or eat hot.)

[ickster]

I roast them and serve them with a sheeps milk feta cheese from France. I find that the saltiness and texture of the cheese go well with the naturally sweet flavors of the roasted beets.

I find them easier to peel after roasting.

[jackie de]

Roast the beets any way you like but they are so much easier to peel after they are roasted. A paper towel works great if you don't want to waste a glove. We have such a huge crop from our garden this year that I've been using lots of recipes and new ways to make beets. One of the best salads we've been eating is beets and nice, ripe mangos tossed with a light dressing and maybe a bit of blue or goat cheese. Also there is a great recipe on epi for warm beets cooked in o.j, that is terrific. Don't forget about the greens if you have them. Not only great tasting, but also so good for you. If in a real hurry, you can microwave beets, which I think is still a much better way to go than boiling.

[oaklandfoodie]

Mix them with yogurt, a little garlic, and fresh dill for a delicious salad that is a bit different.

[Snackish]

Use them for a simple salad - beets, blue cheese, walnuts, endive or butter lettuce, balsamic vinegar and olive or walnut oil.

[mhoffman]

But they peels so luxuriously easlily once roasted (use non-powdered latex gloves if you can't deal with pink hands)! They're yummy sliced and served with raw fennel, or avocado, or oranges. Simple, light vinegrettes work well, especially with a little walnut oil. In fact, crumbled nuts (hazelnuts come to mind) are nice on top, as is a little fresh goat cheese.

You can also do a quick pickle on them after they're roasted.

[twinmommy]

I find that peeling them before roasting in foil makes things a lot less messy.

[cheryl_h]

I do this with a sprinkle of olive oil and a little vinegar before sealing the foil packet. It adds a lot of flavor. Roast beets make wonderful salads.

[Candy]

I don't bother with the foil. I just put them in a covered casserole and raost at 350 F about an hour.

[lintygmom]

they stew in their own juices and stay moister & more flavorful if better wrapped in the heavy duty aluminum foil (and then in the casserole should a spill happen). And clean-ups are so much easier.

[rabaja]

They are just as delicious roasted in a covered roasting pan, it's the same principle. And if you're doing a substantial amount, you're not wasting all that foil. Adding salt, pepper, olive oil and/or a splash of vinegar is good too, and some herbs if you have them.

[Candy]

No, I can't say I have ever noticed a difference in foil wrapped vs. casserole. I have done them both ways and the casserole is less wasteful since the casserole can be washed and used again. I have had more mess with foil leaking. But no less of flavor.,

[dano]

same as Candy, only i don't cover. oil, seasoning, sheet em out and roast. @ different mehods are being talked about here-moist or dry cooking-roasting or "braising" although not by definition. Any alton refernces and i will hunt you down...;)