Oven Roasted Golden Beets

There are some things that inherently taste so good, the best way to enjoy them is really with minimal preparation.

Ever since I discovered what fresh beets taste like, I've been a huge fan of them. Fresh beets, which you can simply cover with foil and roast in the oven, are healthy, easy to prepare, and taste absolutely delicious.

Who would have thought that peeling them first, and thus caramelizing them in the oven, would glorify this humble root vegetable to new heights?

Of course, red beets are a pain to peel. Your hands turn bloody purple and they stain everything around them like crazy. I think that's why most people just roast them whole in the oven. It's makes everything so much cleaner, so much easier. At the end of a long work day, the last thing you want to do is get your hands dirty peeling beets.

But then there's the lovely golden beet. The beauty of the golden beets is that you can peel and chop them up before roasting without staining your hands.

Once roasted, they caramelize beautifully and taste even better than whole-roasted beets (which are essentially just steamed in the oven). I first had this at a friend's house, and I've been hooked ever since. I was surprised that I had a harder time finding websites that talked about this method. Almost everyone just covers them in foil and (essential) steam-bakes them.

Let me tell you - this way tastes so much better.

I wouldn't recommend it for red beets (for all the reasons I mentioned above), but if you can get your hands on some golden beets . . .

well, you're golden. ;)


Oven Roasted Golden Beets
2-3 golden beets
2-3 T vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and chop into cubes golden beets. Toss with vegetable oil and put in a baking sheet or tray, making sure the beets are in a single layer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until beets are soft and have golden brown edges.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!