Oven-Roasted Beets

Most recipes for roasted beets instruct leaving the skin on until after they have roasted. Then, you have to wait for them to cool enough to handle and remove the skins. However, this method for roasting beets takes care of the peeling ahead of time. I recommend wearing gloves while peeling them - unless you want your hands stained purple.

3 large beets
1 T. olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
Dash dried basil
Dash dried oregano
Dash Real Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, if desired.

Wearing gloves, cut the stem and any root fragments from the beets. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin. I recommend doing this over a garbage can or garbage disposal. The beet "juice" will stain pretty much anything it touches if not cleaned up immediately.

Rinse beets. Cut into cubes. Place beets in a medium-sized mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Toss to ensure even distribution. Spread out on prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with a second piece of foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, stir, and continue baking. Stir every 10 minutes until beets are fork-tender, about 60 minutes total, depending on the size of your beet cubes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about 3 side-servings.

Note: This recipe would easily double for more satisfying portions. I had only purchased 3 beets, so that's all I made. Next time I will definitely make more.

Variations: Mix up the seasonings. The basil and oregano are certainly not the only combination that would work. Consider cumin, thyme and lemon juice, or other seasoning variations as you desire.