The red coloring in beets comes from a substance called betanin, which also binds to a sugar molecule, which is what makes them sweet. Cooked beets are sweeter than raw, and yellow beets are alkaline, which makes them even sweeter yet (red beets are more acidic).
Then, of course, there’s the sugar beet. Our family once tried boiling a sugar beet down to make a sugar syrup (we have a sugar beet refinery here in town, so dropped sugar beets are fairly easy to find in certain seasons). Needless to say, it did not go as planned, and really stunk up the apartment, as I recall. It probably would have been better to just bake it and try it that way. But hey, the story wouldn’t be nearly as interesting that way, would it?
One of my favorite ways to eat beets is to slice and sauté them with a little butter and pepper, and then deglaze the pan with a really high-quality balsamic vinegar (get something that comes out of the bottle thick), and let it reduce to a syrup. Simple and so, so very good.
I also like them roasted alongside potatoes in the oven. Just chunk them up with some chunked potatoes, coat them in avocado oil, sprinkle with pepper, thyme, and a tiny bit of sea salt, and roast at around 450f for 20 minutes or so. Toss ’em half-way, so they cook evenly. Don’t want two roots at a time? Roast ’em alongside Brussels sprouts, and leave off the thyme! So, so good.
Do you have a favorite way to prepare/eat beets? Dare to share?
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