I shared a beet dish at a potluck last weekend, to much acclaim, so thought I’d share my secret to a perfect beet! In addition to being one of the healthiest foods out there (one of the “11 best foods you aren’t eating“, according to the NYT), beets are a strikingly beautiful color — a deep, warm red, that impresses even the beet-weary. When cooking beets, the aroma is equally enticing, as are the taste and texture of a sweet, warm beet. And for all their health benefits (antioxidants, folate, anti-inflammatory, etc.), beets are decently affordable – $1.99/lb. for organic beets at Whole Foods right now. I got 6 good-sized beets for $6.00. Their season runs from June through October, so now is a perfect time to experiment.

I learned the trick of how to make great beets from The New Vegan Cookbook. The method requires: beet(s), aluminum foil and a cookie sheet. To prepare:

1) Cut off beet tops and trim roots. Rinse in cold water. Wrap unpeeled beets in aluminum foil singly.

2) Place on a cookie sheet. Folds of the foil should be pointed up to allow steam to escape.

3) Place on upper rack of oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on size. Test by poking with a fork — fork should go in and out easily.

When finished, let the beets cool for at least an hour. When they’re cool, you can pull the skins right off with the foil – you barely even have to get your hands red! I guess the only drawback to this method is the time factor, but it’s unattended time.

I prepared short grain brown rice and added the diced beets to the rice to dye it a gorgeous color. I then tossed this with raspberry vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Voila! Delish.

“Just beeeet it, beeet it” — Mike Jackson