This is one of those times when a recipe title is pretty much the recipe—it just doesn’t get any easier than this one, friends. I like beets. I can peel them and eat them straight from the garden, especially golden beets, but I realize not everyone enjoys this root vegetable quite the same way. The first time I sliced raw beets and passed a slice to my husband, his flavor receptors did not respond the same way mine did.
His response, “Tastes like dirt.”
We continued to eat the raw version in salads, I suppose mixing it with other vegetables and fruits helps mask the earthy flavor, or so we’ve come to describe it. 😉 Because beets are a nutritional powerhouse, it was important to find a way for both of us to enjoy them, not just tolerate them.
Tackling the challenge from two directions—buying golden beets and roasting—moved beets up the side dish scale quite a few marks. I think golden beets are slightly milder and can be more visually appealing, especially when they are served together. Roasting the beets until tender concentrates the natural sugars, balancing their pleasant earthiness (or as Matt would say, they taste less like dirt).
So we agree, roasting is best.
Most often, we top roasted vegetables with a pat of compound butter, but in this case the balsamic and feta dress the beets in fine fashion. We keep a good stock of aged balsamic vinegar on-hand for occasions just like this—to get dinner on the table quickly and deliciously. You can use traditional or flavored balsamic to enhance choice vegetables or simple salads, it really is a matter of preference.
For this dish, we used Blackberry-Ginger Balsamic, a new flavor we picked up from the Venice Olive Oil Company. The sweet tang of blackberry notes and bright, clean ginger undertones was a splendid pairing with the roasted beets. A sprinkle of salty feta perks everything up, creating a side dish we both look forward to again.
What are your favorite things to drizzle a little balsamic over?
Roasted Beets with Blackberry-Ginger Balsamic, Serve with
Ingredients
- 2 medium golden or red beets -- peeled and sliced 3/8 inch thick
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil -- melted
- sea salt & pepper
- blackberry-ginger balsamic vinegar -- (aged, syrup type)
- 1/4 cup feta cheese -- crumbled
Instructions
- Coat beets with oil on all sides by brushing on or tossing in a bowl. Place beets on a parchment lined pan so there is space between the slices. Sprinkle beets with a few grinds of sea salt and pepper.
- %http://savoringtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Roasted-Beets-with-Balsamic-Feta-on-the-pan-e1380322873474.jpg
- Position rack about 6 inches from the broiler and roast under the broiler on HI for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until fork tender.
- Remove from oven and arrange beets on a serving platter. Drizzle with balsamic and sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with additional balsamic at the table, as desired.
Nutrition
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
Hearth & Soul Hop
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
Nancy/SpicieFoodie says
I had the same first impression with beets. Luckily I got over it quickly and now enjoy beets in all forms. Your recipe is wonderful with a bit of sweet, salty and sour — yum!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I love this dish. beets and all that other good stuff – sign me up.
Nusrat Azim says
Your rainbow salad has got some magic words, e.g. “Beet”, “roast”, “balsamic”, “Ginger” 🙂
That very first photo is such a stunner! Crisp and lustrous.
Thanks for the new balsamic-idea. Heart-winning indeed 🙂
mjskit says
A friend of mine keeps encouraging me to try golden beets because I’m not a big beet fan. I’ve been seeing more and more recipes for them and now this one. They certainly look good and your blackberry ginger vinegar sounds like it would be good on a lot of different types of roasted vegetables. Beautiful dish!
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
Don’t you love all the new balsamic flavors available? It can change a recipe instantly.. this looks so pretty, I love beets, especially roasted! xx
Simone says
I love beets! I could eat them in just about anything and like you I think roasted is best. One of my other favorite ways of having a bit of balsamic is with strawberries. Just a fabulous combination!
Raymund says
I love this nice simple and healthy salad! looks colourful as well
Vicki Bensinger says
I love beets and just purchased some golden and red beets at Whole Foods to prepare this week. They’re so healthy and satisfying. Yours sound wonderful with the Blackberry Ginger Balsamic dressing.
Hotly Spiced says
I love the sound of that balsamic vinegar. I’ll have to look out for it here in Oz. I would love this beetroot salad. I think beetroot, fetta and a balsamic dressing work wonderfully together. It looks likes this salad formed part of a very lovely meal xx
Linda says
Hi Judy, my son has recently been asking me to buy beets and honestly, I never grew up eating beets so really didn’t even know if I would like them! I now have your recipe to try and I’m confident that this is going to taste awesome. I love roasting veggies and the presentation is so pretty with the yellow and red!
mjskit says
Bobby and I have never been a fan of beets, but we have had a couple of dishes in which we actually liked them. Both dishes were roasted beets. Therefore, I bet this is a dish we would both love. It looks delicious and I love the use of the two types of beets.
john@kitchenriffs says
I love to roast any veggie, and beets are one of the best! Great salad – balsamic vinegar and beets are a magical combo. Thanks for this.
Giovnna says
Looks delicious! I think roasted is the way too or boiled. I loved your recipe, simple but full of flavor. Thanks for sharing 🙂