I’ve always had a major crush on beets.  I would order them in restaurants, buy them pickled in grocery stores, but never attempted to make them at home.  WAY TOO DIFFICULT.  If I haven’t seen a food prepared/cooked/demonstrated on Food Network, then I sure as heck have no clue how to make it.

But the raw beets were looking real pretty in the produce section this weekend so I took some home, googled a “how-to,” …and found out they were super easy to make.  Embarrassingly easy.  Like so embarrassing that I cleared my internet history because I didn’t want anyone to know I was googling something so ridic.  You guys, all you have to do is roast them in a 375 degree oven for an hour.  AND THEN THEY’RE DONE!

So that’s what I did.  I chopped off the beet greens (which actually are quite edible), wrapped them individually in foil, and roasted them in the oven for an hour.  When they came out of the oven, I peeled the skin off with my fingers (super easy), stained my entire hands purpley red, pretended the beet juice was a lip stain, and sliced the beets fairly thin.

I used half the beets to make a citrusy salad of sliced oranges, red onion, baby spinach, and balsamic vinaigrette.

The next night, I made a beet caprese of sorts with mozzarella cheese, chopped basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of kosher salt and cracked pepper.  I swear, you can’t go wrong with beets!