BEETS!! beets?

[alex8alot]

5 pounds of them seemed like such a good idea at the time. please share your directions for transforming these into edible versions. they currently feel like a hostile invader species in my crisper.

[alex8alot]

I have done the roasted and the pickled so far, and made an important discovery. Beets are the perfect complement to.... SRIRACHA. Yes, I am guilty of excessive and pervasive racha-ing, but the earthy sweetness of beets is particularly good with the crack condiment. thnx to all. only 2 and a half pounds to go.

[violabratsche]

PICKLED!! It's easy, and can be used the same way you'd use any pickles. They're wonderful! You can also use the pickle juice in the jar, after the pickled beets are all used up, for pickled eggs, that make a lovely, lightly pickled, pink egg.

AnnieG

[Aromatherapy]

Shred, sautee. Quick and good. Some flavorings: lemon juice, lemon rind, dill, cumin, black mustard seed (pop in fat first), fennel seed, yogurt/sour cream sorts of things, ginger, garlic....

[laurendlewis]

This recipe has gotten RAVE reviews - beet salad
Roasted beets - peeled and sliced/chunked
Goat cheese (or feta even)
Orange supremes
Basil/mint (or both!)

Dressing: Make a simple vinaigrette w/ olive oil, fresh oj, and lots of s&p, or just toss with olive oil and s&p and don't even worry about emulsifying.

This works really well with different colored beets - when you slice them, layer different colors in a glass dish with the cheese, herbs, orange segments, and it looks gorgeous. And delicious!!

[JRL]

roast either in oven or on grill, peel, quarter or half (if small), toss with olive oil, s&p, sherry vinegar and dill

[iaminvisable]

We really love Alton Brown's Pickled beet recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...), although, I do love most pickled things. I used red wine vinegar because I was too cheap to buy a fancy kind.

[Amanita]

Save a couple raw and grate them onto a salad! Thrilling color, great earthy taste.

[cayjohan]

http://www.deliciousdays.com/archives...

Above is a blog post with a nice beet salad.

[Gio]

I wash/rinse them, snip off the long rooty thing , place them in a small roasting pan with just a little water, cover with aluminum foil, roast at 400*, uncover, let sit till I can handle them...
Then I take two paper towels and rub the outer skin off.
Slice them in rounds and serve with whatever the evening main dish is.
No sauces, no other condiments. Remember... we buy our beets at the farm and cooked this way we taste their natural goodness.

[Bat Guano]

I've always been of the belief that if you snip off the root before cooking - and cut the stems off, too for that matter - they lose a lot of juice, which ends up in the cooking water or in dish you cook them in. Whereas if you leave an inch of stem and the root until after cooking, that juice stays in. Sure, some still leaks out, but not as much.

Anyways, after cooking them I usually slice them, mix with thin-sliced red onion, a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Simple and delicious.

[Chris VR]

If you just want them cooked for salads or what have you, it's easy to microwave them. Peel them, put them in a covered bowl with water about 1/3 of the way up the side of the beets, and microwave for about 9 minutes.

My favorite recipe is this one for Beet Roesti: http://www.cook-book.com/recipes/beet...

[alex8alot]

so different! do you usually pair them with something? do you serve them naked or no?

[Chris VR]

I put them in salads all the time. Toss some greens (I like to have arugula in there), pair with goat cheese, or bleu cheese, some nuts, and a nice vinaigrette. Yum. I got beets and argula from my CSA last night, I know what I'm having for dinner tonight!

[reannd]

this is cool!!! never thought of doing this w. beets (the roesti that is).

i hate peeling them before their cooked. have you tried the microwave method to see if the skin'll just peel off as in roasting above. i did this last week w.the smallest beets ever (my mom gave me ones that were < 1" diamter pre-cooking just for fun).. and it was soo much easier than when i'd boiled them on prior experiments.

[MMRuth]

To peel them raw, I use a great swivel peeler that I bought - works like a charm. I also now wear those surgical gloves when ever I peel beets - my hands always get so stained.

[reannd]

that's cool, but it still looks hard for baby beets:) gotta save all the beet that you can!

[MMRuth]

True - I guess I've only roasted baby beets!

[Chris VR]

I've never had the skin come off easily after cooking when either microwaving or roasting. But honestly, I don't care too much about the skins anyway, as long as I washed them pretty well.

However, if you can get a box of disposable kitchen gloves, then peeling them isn't that bad. Those are handy for handling raw meat as well.

[macca]

The recipe Chris VR posted is so good. I tried them this way last fall- am off to get my produce this am- this recipe, along with a brussel sprout recipe I found on another thread will be on my dinner table this week!

[alex8alot]

or lose their shape and fall apart?

[alex8alot]

oh, great ideas so far. Now here is a brilliant (ie. embarassing) question:
I get the "until tender" part, but with two kids under two and post-poartem amnesia, I tend to forget things. So is it possible to over-roast beets? I don't mean will they not turn to charred bits, but will they ever get unpalatable-y mushy?

[alanbarnes]

I definitely identify with the tending to forget things, without the excuse (unless post-partum issues last ten years and affect the males of the species too).

Yes, you can overcook beets, but the window between done and over-done is pretty sizeable. Cook at lower temps and it's even bigger.

My favorite solution is to use a digital thermometer with a remote probe. Set it for the temperature you want, insert the probe, and wait for the beeping to tell you it's time to take the food out of the oven.

[alex8alot]

oh great idea! truly, this introduction to digital technology could change my life, and that of my loved ones' forever. I never thought of that... brilliant!!! and for that, I will buy the male post-partum by association justification :)

[scuzzo]

I do 'em on the grill, and I don't pay that much attention to them. I do have them on a clay tile from home depot though. I do think they are pretty forgiving. Leaving the skin on helps 'em keep from drying out. Mine always seem tender and great. After cooling, I only peel the ones I'm ready to use.

[alex8alot]

how long do the cooked ones last in the fridge?

[alkapal]

any special things to know when buying the grill tile?

[cayjohan]

You don't really need a set of tiles - just wrap in foil the way you would do in the oven. Indirect heat, lid on.

[alanbarnes]

Beet salad. Roast, peel, and cut the beets into bite-sized pieces, then sprinkle them over baby greens with goat cheese and candied nuts.

Borscht. In a heavy pan, brown beef (or other meat of your choice) in oil; remove the meat from the pan and saute onions, carrots, and celery. Remove the veggies and deglaze the pan with stock. Add back the previous solids as well as beets and potatoes, bring to a simmer, cook until the veggies are tender. Add sugar, vinegar, thyme, and caraway seeds to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

[scuzzo]

I roast them on the grill whole until tender, let cool, then remove the outer peel. Incredible on salads. Not like canned beets at all.

[JoanN]

Love this recipe. I've made it with all kinds of beef, including leftovers. Always good.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...