Recipe: Easy Rosemary Roasted Beets

In the last couple of weeks, I've been playing with different ways to use beets from the farmer's market. Inspired by how well beets and rosemary worked together in last week's glorious beet hash browns, I decided to roast them in foil this time with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.  The trick to roasting beets is not cooking them too long - otherwise they'll turn to mush - but just until they can be easily pierced with a knife.

You can use this method for as few or as many beets as you like. The garlic flavor is not by any means overwhelming, so feel free to throw more cloves into the packet. It'll give you lovely roasted garlic at the end to eat alongside the tender, delicately flavored beets.

Easy Rosemary Roasted Beets
4-6 beets
3 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks fresh rosemary
5 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Trim roots from the beets and thoroughly scrub them clean. On a large sheet of foil, spread out beets, whole rosemary stalks, and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything around with your fingers to ensure the beets are evenly coated in olive oil.

Bring two ends of foil together and fold over a couple of times, creating a tight crease. Seal the open ends of the foil the same way to make a sealed packet. Place packet on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 45-60 minutes. Check the beets after 45 minutes; some may cook faster than others. Beets are done cooking when they can be easily pierced by a knife.

Discard stalks of rosemary. Season again with salt and pepper to taste, then serve roasted beets and garlic as a side dish.

Serves 2.