Photo Tutorial: How to Roast Beets

Give the beets a good rinse. Scrub off any surface dirt with a vegetable brush, but do not peel. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Beets can be roasted at any temperature from 325-425 degrees F, making them flexible to roast alongside a host of other dishes; simply adjust cook time up or down accordingly if using a different temperature than 400 degrees F.

Trim the greens from the beet roots and save them for a later use. Rinse them thoroughly before use, and then treat them as you would any hearty green; they're especially tasty when coarsely chopped and sautéed till tender.

Remove and discard the long root end of the beets to promote even roasting.

Line a half-sheet pan with heavy-duty tinfoil, place the beets larger-side down and generously drizzle them with oil, tossing to coat.

Fold the tinfoil up around the beets into a tightly sealed bundle. Distribute the beets amongst more than one tinfoil bundle if necessary (one sheet of tinfoil can typically house four to five beets). Roast the beets for anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on size and oven temperature), or until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork, but are not mushy.

Carefully remove the beets from their tinfoil packet and allow them to cool until they can be handled comfortably. To peel, rub off the loose skin with your fingertips, using a paring knife to remove any stubborn bits as necessary. If you're worried about staining your skin and fingernails (particularly when working with red beets), wear disposable plastic gloves for this step.

Quarter, coarsely chop, or slice the beets according to the recipe they'll be added to.

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