Roasted Beets With Lemon Recipes

ROASTED BEETS WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Put 2 pounds beets in a baking dish lined with a large sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring the foil edges together; fold to seal. Roast at 325 degrees F until tender, 45 minutes for small beets and up to 2 hours, 30 minutes for large ones. Let cool. Peel the beets; cut into cubes. Whisk the juice of 1 lemon, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss with the beets.
• TIP: Roasting beets intensifies their sweet, earthy flavor. All they need is a simple vinaigrette.
• How to Peel and Juice a Beet

ROASTED BEETS WITH LEMON-THYME DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim stems off beets and place them onto the middle of a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle beets with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap beets up in foil, making a tightly sealed but roomy package. Bake beets in foil package on a sheet pan for 45 minutes to an hour at 400 degrees F, until tender. Remove from oven and carefully open up foil package and let cool.
• When cool to the touch, wrap one beet at a time in paper towels and rub skin off. Repeat with remaining beets. This may stain your hands red unless you wear gloves. Cut peeled beets into chunks and place in a mixing bowl. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and some salt and pepper. Close container and shake vigorously. Pour dressing over beets and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and keep in fridge until ready to serve.

SIMMERED BEET GREENS WITH ROASTED BEETS, LEMON AND YOGURT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the greens away from the beets, leaving about 1/4 inch of stems. Scrub the beets and place in a baking dish or lidded ovenproof casserole. Add 1/4 inch water to the dish. Cover tightly. Place in the oven and roast small beets (3 ounces or less) for 30 to 40 minutes, medium beets (4 to 6 ounces) 40 to 45 minutes, and large beets (8 ounces) 50 to 60 minutes, until easily penetrated with the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the covered baking dish. Cut away the ends and slip off the skins. Slice or cut in wedges and set aside.
• While the beets are in the oven, stem the greens and wash in at least 2 changes of water. Place in a bowl.
• Heat a large, wide skillet over high heat and add the greens by the handful, stirring each handful until the greens wilt in the water left on the leaves after washing. Once one batch has wilted, add another until all of the greens are wilted. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, turn the heat down to low, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. The greens should be tender but still bright. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, toss the greens in the pan, taste and adjust seasoning. (Note: if you are not serving this right away, don't add the lemon juice, as it will change the bright color of the greens; instead, add shortly before serving).
• At this point you have the option of transferring the greens to a platter or serving the dish right from the pan. Whether in the pan or on a platter, arrange the beets on top of the greens. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil and squeeze on more lemon juice to taste. Mash the garlic to a purée with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and stir into the yogurt. Place spoonfuls of yogurt over the top of the beets and beet greens, sprinkle on the walnuts and serve, with grains if desired.