How to best prepare beets

I don’t think that I have ever tried beets before but I am feeling adventurous and curious to try new things. So, in the spirit of curiosity, I thought I would research how to best prepare beets.

Method one-boiling

How to cook beets

https://whatsinthepan.com/how-to-cook-beets/#wprm-recipe-container-6518

Ingredients

• 3 beets

Instructions

1. Start by boiling water in a large deep pot. Add the beets to the pot and boil them for 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Transfer the beets onto a large plate. Allow them to cool for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the skin from the beets with your hands.
4. Slice to your preferred sizes.
5. Store sliced beets in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Method two-roasting

Simple Roasted Beets

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/simple-roasted-beets/#wprm-recipe-container-122687

Ingredients

• 6 fresh beets or as many as desired
• 1 tablespoon olive oil about 1 tablespoon for every 4-6 beets
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Wash beets under cold water and cut off the top and bottom. Cut beets in half and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper.
3. Layout a large piece of tinfoil, top with a piece of parchment paper. Wrap and seal beets. (Or place beets in a greased baking dish and cover).
4. Roast the foil package for 1 hour or until beets are tender when poked with a fork.
5. Using rubber gloves or paper towels, rub the beets and the skins will just slide right off.
6. Serve warm with butter or chilled in salads

Method three-in a casserole

Roasted Beets with Bacon, Garlic, and Chestnuts

Source: https://www.sunset.com/recipe/roasted-beets-bacon-garlic-chestnuts

Ingredients

• 10 medium beets (half red and half golden, 3 lbs. total), ends trimmed, peeled
• 1 pound applewood-smoked slab bacon* (any rind cut off) or thick-cut sliced bacon
• Peeled cloves from 3 garlic heads*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (4 oz.) peeled roasted chestnuts*, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Quarter beets lengthwise. Slice half lengthwise and half crosswise into wedges about 3/4 in. thick. Cut slab bacon into 1/2-in. cubes, or sliced bacon into 1 1/2-in. pieces.
2. In a shallow 3- to 3 1/2-qt. baking dish, toss beets, bacon, garlic, oil, and salt.
3. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes or so until beets are tender when pierced and bacon begins to brown, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours. Stir in chestnuts.
4. *Find slab bacon at well-stocked grocery stores or butcher shops. Soak garlic cloves in cool water for 15 minutes to make peeling easier. Find peeled chestnuts at well-stocked grocery stores, or see how to peel them at sunset.com/chestnuts

Method four-as decorations for other recipes

Candied Beet Roses

Source: https://bakingbutterlylove.com/how-to-make-candied-beet-roses/

Ingredients

• 1 large red beet, peeled
• 300 grams of sugar
• 300 grams of water
• pinch of salt
• juice of half a lemon

Instructions

1. Slice the beet thinly as possible using a mandolin or very sharp knife. If the beet is too large for your mandolin, you can cut it in half first,
2. In a medium pot, combine sugar, water, salt, and lemon juice.
3. Heat mixture over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, then add all of the beet slices. Make sure to stir the slices around so that none of them get stuck together.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil then let simmer until beets have softened and turned translucent. When the beets are cooked, remove them from the syrup onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Save the leftover syrup, you can use it to decorate your cake or to make beet lemonade!
5. Preheat your oven to 250 F.
6. Grab some gloves and get toothpicks ready. A layout about 5-7 beet slices at a time, some smaller and some larger. Start out with the smallest slice, and roll it up tightly to form the center of your rose. Continue wrapping more slices around the center. Stagger each slice so that it starts at about the center of the previous one. Play around with the slices to get them adjusted to your liking. If they are very large you can fold them in half before wrapping. You can also make them smaller or larger, however don’t go too big or they will be difficult to eat!
7. Once the rose is formed to your liking, carefully push a toothpick directly through the center from one side to the other. Place all of your roses on a clean baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. I had to balance some of my toothpicks on each other to help hold the roses upright.
8. Bake the roses for about an hour. They should be firm and very dry.
9. Increase the heat to 350 F and bake for about another 10-15 minutes just until they crisp up. Keep a close eye on the roses so that they don’t get too brown or burn.
10. Once the roses are cooled, you can remove the toothpicks and use them to decorate!