By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(74)
- Notes
- Read community notes
It’s fun to treat beets like baked potatoes sometimes, roasting them skin-on, and serving them with “all the fixings.” For simplicity’s sake, arrange little bowls of the usual suspects — crème fraîche or sour cream, chives, dill, butter and salt and pepper — and let the diners do the work. For special occasions, you can upgrade the presentation with a dab of caviar or trout roe.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 4medium red beets, scrubbed (about 1½ pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
- 3tablespoons snipped chives
- 3tablespoons snipped dill
- A few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
134 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 327 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put scrubbed beets in a small roasting pan filled with an inch of water. Cover tightly and bake until beets are tender when probed with a paring knife or skewer, about 1 hour. (Cook beets ahead and reheat if you wish.)
Step
2
When beets are ready, place them on a platter, unpeeled, and split them top to bottom with a paring knife. Season cut sides with salt and pepper. Top each beet half with a little butter and a generous spoonful of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with chives and dill, and cilantro (if using). Serve piping hot.
Ratings
4
out of 5
74
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Cooking Notes
Marj
So David Tanis offers us a seasonal riff on baked potatoes, roasting crimson beets, skin on, for optimal flavor. Earthy warmth and lyric freshness say I.Rich in anthocyanins and betalains, beets are nutritious and naturally sugar-rich. Tanis was thoughtful to make cream and butter optional.What a treat for the High Holy Days. The Hebrew word for beet is similar to the word for "remove." They're eaten to express the hope that our enemies will depart. Oh yes, please!
Kat
But surely, these are not "baked potato" style. Who bakes a potato in an inch of water, covered in foil? Lovely way to make beets and I'm sure they're delicious. Just like they would be boiled in their skins, or in the pressure cooker.
Marj
David Tanis does not peel the beets. The smaller the beets, the softer, more delicate. and tastier the skin, but initial rigorous scrubbing is a must. The skin provides healthy fiber. It's a good source of betalains (phytonutrients that boost health and defend against disease). Apparently, beets are just as healthy for dogs as they are for humans. Enjoy, jeanbean's terrier!
Porkslap
Ned Baldwin's cook book "How To Dress An Egg" has a recipe for "pot roasted" beets that does not use water in the pot. I've made them his way several times and I can confirm you do not need water, in fact, you do not want water. Water steams the beets, cooking without water roasts the beets, concentrating their flavor. He also does not cut the beets, but rather waits for them to be cool enough to handle, then tears them apart with his hands, leaving lots of craggy surfaces for the dressing.
Dr. Stevens
Wow. This is absurdly simple, and I don’t know why I never thought of it!! Well done, as usual, Tanis. This is now a fall favorite for me that helps me eat one of my favorite vegetables more often and with pure joy! Thank you!!
Vivien
Fine without crime fraiche but use more dill and chives.
Es
This dish was fun, pretty, and also delicious. I had a bunch of young muti-colored beets and cooked them as directed. Before serving, and still warm, I split them and dressed them like a baked potato with butter, a dab of sour cream, and chives. They looked great and added some festivity to the meal. The skin peeled right off as we ate them. I think I would peel them next time prior to splitting.
jeanbean
Just place scrubbed beets with skins on heavy-duty foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper & bay leaf. Wrap tightly & roast for about 75 minutes @375 degrees; let cool & rub the skins off. My Terrier loves the ends in her dinner kibble!
Marj
David Tanis does not peel the beets. The smaller the beets, the softer, more delicate. and tastier the skin, but initial rigorous scrubbing is a must. The skin provides healthy fiber. It's a good source of betalains (phytonutrients that boost health and defend against disease). Apparently, beets are just as healthy for dogs as they are for humans. Enjoy, jeanbean's terrier!
Kat
But surely, these are not "baked potato" style. Who bakes a potato in an inch of water, covered in foil? Lovely way to make beets and I'm sure they're delicious. Just like they would be boiled in their skins, or in the pressure cooker.
Marj
So David Tanis offers us a seasonal riff on baked potatoes, roasting crimson beets, skin on, for optimal flavor. Earthy warmth and lyric freshness say I.Rich in anthocyanins and betalains, beets are nutritious and naturally sugar-rich. Tanis was thoughtful to make cream and butter optional.What a treat for the High Holy Days. The Hebrew word for beet is similar to the word for "remove." They're eaten to express the hope that our enemies will depart. Oh yes, please!
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