I grew a new (to me, anyway) variety of beets last summer. It’s called Cylindra, and it produces long, fat red beets instead of round ones. The shape results in more beet meat per beet, which is important when garden space is limited. I’d been watching this one beet all summer. It was evident that it wasn’t going to be red, as the veins in the leaves were cream-colored. It’s a little pointier than your typical beet, but not as long as a Cylindra, and the skin looks like a golden beet. The flesh was much paler than a golden beet, though, but not as pale as an albino. So maybe it was a mutant, but I was excited to try it. 

I thought it probable that the flavor would be milder than with red beets, so I wanted it naked in the oven, not wrapped in foil, to give it a chance to caramelize & deepen the flavor. Since it wasn’t red, I didn’t have to worry about my hands getting stained. As long as I was roasting, I decided to add in some spuds & onions, for a 3-for-1 side dish to go with the Black & Bleu meatloaf I picked up at Primal (wickedly delicious, I highly recommend it!). I wasn’t disappointed. The flavor was exquisite, and it was really fast & easy to make. I was having one of “those” days, so a fast & easy, stress-free dinner was most definitely on the menu. I liked it so much, I’m thinking of growing golden beets next year. Or maybe even albino beets. I don’t think I’ll wait that long to make it again, though! I’ll use golden beets next time, since I’ve never seen albino beets in the store, not even at Whole Foods.

I like kosher salt best for roasted vegetables. The crystals are larger than in table salt, so you get more of a burst of saltiness, with less salt. That’s a win-win: Better flavor, lower sodium! In truth, I measured neither the oil nor the salt & pepper. I’ve estimated quantities here for the purpose of nutrition information calculation. If you’re not picky about that, just add as much oil as necessary to lightly coat the veggies, and as much salt & pepper as looks right to you.

Ingredients: 

1 large yellow beet

1 medium yellow onion

9 baby red potatoes, thoroughly washed, all about the same size

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) Preheat oven to 375°F. Halve the potatoes, and place them in a pile in the center of a rimmed baking sheet.

2.) Peel the beet and the onion. Cut them both into chunks about 1″ square, or thereabouts. Add the beet chunks to the potato pile, pour the olive oil over them, and toss to coat. Bare hands are best here – olive oil is great for your skin! Don’t wipe the extra off your hands yet, though, you’ll need it for the next step.

3.) Spread the beets & potatoes out on the sheet, so they’re in a single layer with plenty of room. Potatoes go cut side up. Gently use the residual oil on your hands to coat the onion chunks. This way, you can keep the chunks intact. Add them to the sheet. Sprinkle salt & pepper over all. Now you can rub any leftover oil all over your hands, & wipe off the excess.

4.) Place in your pre-heated oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. That’s it! Wasn’t that easy?

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