Meet the Beetles

By pierino • February 26, 2010 • 4 Comments

⎙

Author Notes: I have a long history with beets. Well, I like them. My coniving sister would tell me back when I was cooking family holiday meals that my mother hated beets---actually it was my sister who hated beets, not Mom so I'd put them on the table just to spite her. But I always had this thing in my head that some people just refuse to like beets unless they come from some Eastern European background. Once on a Chicago visit, I cooked for friends in return for a guest room, I prepared dinner. I had the beet idea in my head but there was that lingering doubt. But my friend Erich said, "I love beets" so here's what we did. - pierino

Serves 4-6

2 pounds red beets (or a mix of red and yellow)
1 horseradish root
juice of one lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 425˚. Trim the tops from the beets but save them. Wash the beets under running water.
Wrap the beets in aluminum foil packets and place in the oven. Roast for just over one hour. Test for doneness with a fork.
Let the packages rest and when cool enough to handle, open up and dye your hands red by peeling the beets. Slice and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with squeezed lemon and dribble some olive oil over everything. Season with salt and pepper.
Peel your horseradish root (you can do this while the beets are resting in their package). Using your favorite grater, box or Microplane, grate a generous amount of horseradish over everything.
Pretty damn easy, right? And you will wash and saute those beet greens in butter or I won't respect you in the morning.