Roasting Beets
Roasting beets is a tasty and nutritious way of preparing them for many types of recipes and meals, and it is a rather simple process once you have learned how. You will want to start with the freshest and finest beets you can find or harvest, because this will determine the quality of your end result. Your roasting beets should be crisp and firm, the leaves still moist and perky, and don’t forget that you can eat these greens as well. They are highly nutritious and offer the most soluble form of iron and copper for the body. They are slightly more bitter than spinach leaves are, but are quite tasty in their own right. Go ahead and cut these greens off of the beet roots for starters, and get ready for cleaning and preparation.
Separating the greens from roots first is important if you plan to eat the greens, as they are more delicate and will need to be rinsed differently. As for your roots, you will want to rub them with your fingers or with a potato brush until all signs of loose dirt are gone. Be sure that you have cleanly sliced both the green tip and the bottom tip off of the roots, and you are ready for roasting beets. As for the greens, you should rinse them in very cold water until no sand or grit is detected and then set them aside in a zip lock bag in the fridge, as long as you intend to use them within a couple of days.
You will need a cake or an earthenware pan for roasting beets, and you should have heavy duty aluminum foil to seal them up tight inside before putting them in the oven. Preheat your oven to about 350 degrees, though 400 degrees would also be acceptable. Put about ½ inch of water at the bottom of your pan for steam and to prevent burning and drying of the whole roots while they cook. Arrange your cleaned beets in a single layer and seal it tightly. They should take between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the temperature you choose, and are ready when a fork sinks easily through them. Overcooking will produce mushy beets, so be sure to check them at the 30 minute mark.
Once you have finished these steps to roasting beets, you will want to let them cool until you can handle them without burning yourself. After they are roasted, the skin should peel easily away from the sweet meat inside, and the beets can be sliced or chopped for your meal ideas. To eat them right away, you might add a touch of orange zest, orange juice, and ginger. For salads or cold plates, chop them up and store them in the fridge for up to a week.