Roasted Beets

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Raw beets always stain my fingers....

 

Cyndi

 

 

January 21, 2009A Good AppetiteRoasted Beets, Now StainlessBy MELISSA CLARKWHEN a friend offers to come over and make me lunch, I don't usuallyquibble over the details. But when Sarah arrived with a grocery bag ofvegetables, promising to make one of her huge, gorgeous salads, I haveto admit I had my doubts.Among the salad greens, other vegetables and nuts was a bunch of giantbeets from the farmers' market, soil clinging to their hairlike roots.It was already noon and my starvation was building. Cooking thoseenormous beets for the salad would take hours. And I didn't feel likewaiting."Are you planning to grate the beets and use them raw?" I asked,hoping to influence her plan."No, I'm going to roast them," Sarah said, preheating the oven.My stomach was growling so I nibbled on nuts and held my tongue.Then, to my surprise, I watched Sarah peel the raw beets, cut theminto small cubes and drizzle them with oil.Most roasted-beet recipes call for cooking the beets whole, thenpeeling and cubing them after they're already cooked. It neveroccurred to me to do any of this before roasting.Still, Sarah's technique made perfect sense. The smaller beet pieceswould roast much faster than the whole vegetables; they were tenderabout 40 minutes later, when the rest of the salad was prepped andready for them.These roasted beets were even sweeter than usual, having caramelizedall over from the intense heat. Even faster-roasting tiny beets wouldbenefit from this treatment.And, as a bonus, I noticed that the fuchsia juice from the raw beetsdidn't stain Sarah's fingers the way cooked beet juice does.Since then, I've adopted Sarah's technique as my standard. My onlychange is to add a little wine vinegar while the beets are roasting tocut the sweetness.I've served them hot from the oven as a side dish to roasted, piquantmeats. Yet I think salads are their true calling, especially whenthey're tossed with bitter greens like radicchio (O.K., that's red,but it still counts), endive and arugula, and sprinkled with crunchy nuts.I didn't think there was any way I could improve upon this basicformula. A package of leftover goat cheese, though, proved me wrong.I was looking for something to add to make the salad a little moresubstantial, and scavenged the fridge for possibilities. As soon as Isaw the wrapper of a delightfully pungent, runny-centered bucheron, Iknew my dinner was done. Beets and goat cheese is a classiccombination that I've ordered in restaurants but seldom thought ofmaking at home.After the beets were roasted, I slathered them with a sharpvinaigrette and added radicchio, endive and some Boston lettuce (whichisn't bitter, but I had it so I used it). Then I spooned in the creamygoat cheese and sprinkled on the nuts. Dinner was only a toss away —with no need to stop and scrub the fuchsia from my fingers.Beet and Radicchio Salad With Goat Cheese and PistachiosTime: 1 hour 10 minutes2 pounds red beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to tasteFreshly ground black pepper to taste1 large garlic clove, minced2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon1 head radicchio, cut into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)1 large head endive, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley4 ounces bucheron or other goat cheese, cut into cubes2/3 cup shelled, toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped.1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet withaluminum foil.2. In a large bowl, toss together the beets, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2tablespoon vinegar, and some salt and pepper. Arrange beets in asingle layer on baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes,then uncover and bake until tender and golden around edges, about 20minutes more. Cool; transfer to a small bowl.3. With mortar and pestle, or the back of a knife, mash garlic with1/2 teaspoon salt to form a paste. In a small bowl, whisk togetherwith remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, then remaining 6 tablespoons oiland the tarragon. Season with pepper and additional salt, if necessary.4. Toss beets with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette. In a large bowl, combineradicchio, endive and parsley. Toss with remaining vinaigrette. Addbeets and goat cheese, and toss gently. Serve garnished with pistachios.Yield: 6 appetizer-size servings. A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!