A perfectly roasted beet with a little salt might be one of my favorite things to eat of all time. It also brings out my neurosis for the 24 hours that follow that I might be dying of internal bleeding. If you can get past the death scare that comes with its consumption, you’ll probably agree that a roasted beet is a thing of beauty.
With a little olive oil and salt, wrapped in a cute little foil packet and an hour in the oven, you can bring out the sweet and savory that is the beet. A beet on its own deserves its status, but with a few additional simple ingredients, you can make an incredible salad that is full of sweet, salty and savory, and packed with texture to boot.
I love the flavor of date syrup, however if it’s a challenge to find locally, you can opt for pomegranate molasses, honey, agave or even maple syrup. And don’t overdo it on the syrup as roasting the beet will intensify its sweetness. You can also use a standard red beet, or yellow ones, even candy cane or a mixture of several different kinds.
Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets
- 1 tsp salt plus more during the roasting of the beets
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
- olive oil for drizzling on top of the beets before roasting
- 1/4 cup date syrup
Instructions
- Clean and scrub the beets free of any dirt. Cut off both ends and place on a square piece of aluminum foil. Top each beet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Fold up the foil packed so that the beet is contained within it. Once all beets have been placed inside their foil packets, place all packets in a roasting pan or on a sheet tray, and place into a 400 degree heated oven for 1 hour.
- After roasting for 1 hour, remove the beets from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, peel the skin from each beet. The skin will come off easily once the beet is roasted. I would advise the use of rubber gloves if you have some at your disposal so as to not look like you've performed surgery on a body for the next few days.
- Chop the beets into small 1/2 inch chunks place into a mixing or serving bowl. Place into the refrigerator until ready for final assembly and serving.
- Once ready to eat – To the beets, add the pistachios, lemon zest and chopped mint. Sprinkle the 1 tsp salt over the top and finish with a hefty drizzle of the date syrup.
