Roasted Beets with Balsamic Vinegar

Beets are one of my favorite root vegetables. Give me a beet over a potato any day. They are super healthy for your body and do magical things in the digestive process (they stain EVERYTHING red). Canned beets are an atoricty in my mouth, but fresh beets make my mouth happy. This recipe is one of the simplest ways to cook up beets, and has a nice mild, tangy flavor. Roasting the beets brings out their sweet notes making for a nice contract to the acidity of the balsamic.


Ingredients

3 beets, peeled, sliced
Salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Lay beets in a single layer on a lightly greased jelly roll pan. Season lightly with salt. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top.

3. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until beets are tender. Cooking time will depend on how thick they are cut.

Beets can be both fun and intimidating to work with because they stain everything red. Some people roast their beets whole to avoid the staining dilemma. I just go for it. First I cut off the ends. This gives the beet some stability so it isn't rolling around staining everything. I use the flat surface to steady the beet while I use a peeler to remove the peel. The hand stains are easily washed off with soap and water.

Fresh beets are super easy to peel and cut. If you find the peel or flesh tough to work with it is most likely because you are using an old beet.