Roasted and Marinated Beets

The other day I saw some fresh beets at the produce market so I decided to get some. Mind you my childhood experience with beets was only canned beets which are quite bland but still I've always liked them. Gary on the other hand says he doesn't like beets. I once grew beets in my Springville Gardens; he ate them at the holidays and even had a second helping but to this day he denies that.

Anyway these roasted and marinated beets are quite tasty and besides that I've learned beets are quite good for you too. When I know they are good for me that makes the beets taste so much better somehow. Click on the link to read how good beets are for you, afterwards I am sure you'll agree they taste so good. I got a bunch of small fresh beets and washed them off and cut the ends off of them slightly. I placed them in a glass covered baking dish filled with one inch of water and roasted them in a 400 F oven for about an hour or until a sharp knife inserts into them easily. I removed them from the oven and let them cool. When the beets were cool I peeled them and cut them in cubes and placed them in another glass baking dish. I use glass because beets will stain just about anything. You can even use them as a dye but that's a story for another day. They will also make certain bodily fluids turn red, so later, don't be alarmed it isn't blood, it's beet juice.

After I peeled and cubed the beets I added two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried crushed tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, dill, and a teaspoon of brown sugar. I stirred this up several times over an hour or so leaving the beets at room temperature. After the beets marinated for an hour or so I added one tablespoon of olive oil and tossed them gently. Don't add the oil till after an hour or so, otherwise the oil will coat the beets and the vinegar and spices won't be able to penetrate and flavor the beets. I served the beets over a mixed green salad with some slivered carrots added for more color. You could also serve them over a bed of baby spinach leaves. Gary ate a few of the beets but still declared he didn't like them. No worry I ate all the leftovers they were that good. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.