Beets: you either love them or hate them. Or, like me, you were scared of them for a really, really long time and finally got over your irrational fear of their vibrant color and tried one or two… and decided that they are AWESOME. Beets are starchy (but not mushy), sweet, and have a very distinctive, earthy taste. They are also very nutritious, full of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.
Despite my new-found appreciation for beets, I had never cooked them… until recently! Last month, for a coworker’s baby shower, I decided to roast beets for a beet, blood orange, and mache salad with homemade vinaigrette. (It was really good, but I don’t have any photos unfortunately.) I found that even though roasting beets is super easy, it does takes a little bit of time. All you have to do is trim the greens off the top (about 1/2 inch), scrub the beets clean, put them on a pan with a splash of water, seal tightly with aluminum foil, and roast at 400F for one hour. Then let them cool (very important!) for about 20-30 minutes before you peel and cut them up. And VOILA! Tasty beets, right at your fingertips.
Since my first roasted beet experience was overwhelmingly positive, I decided to venture forth and make a roasted beet and corn salad. I got the idea for this combination from a Berkeley eatery that closed about 2 years ago (RIP, Bake Shop). They had great salads, and even though they served the beets and the roasted corn salad separately, I think I had both at one sitting and thought it was great. I did some research, and altered an online recipe to fit my tastes/preferences. Without further ado, here it is:
INGREDIENTS
3-4 beets (about 1-1.5 lbs)
2 cups frozen corn (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Sweet Corn)
Olive oil
2 Tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Juice from one lemon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Roast beets, as described above. After cooling, peel and dice beets.
2. While beets are roasting or while they are cooling, roast the corn. Coat the frozen corn with olive oil, spread on a cookie sheet or roasting pan, and roast at 400F for 15-20 minutes.
3. When beets and corn have cooled to room temperature, combine them in a medium/large bowl with the parsley, lemon juice, vinegar, and shallot. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or chilled.
As delicious as it is, roasted beet and corn salad does not a meal make. I had some sprigs of rosemary leftover from earlier in the week, so I co-opted the rosemary to make roasted potatoes. I like red creamer potatoes because they are tiny and cook quickly. Plus they are so cute!
June 30, 2009 at 11:43 pm
hey, why peel the beets _after_ roasting? just curious–I’ve always peeled them before.
July 1, 2009 at 7:31 am
I’m not sure; it’s just what my recipe said. The skin comes off really easy after roasting though — it seems like less work?
July 1, 2009 at 12:56 am
yum! loooks great – I can’t wait for the beets to come up at my Farmer’s Market!
July 2, 2009 at 6:04 am
RIP Bake shop! I miss you lovely walnut apple salad and oh-so anchovy-y ceasar! Thanks for the recipe.
July 13, 2009 at 10:33 pm
OH BAKE SHOP WHY DID YOU LEAVE US??
p.s. we peel beets after roasting to make things easier. When the beets have cooled, the skin slips off with a little squeeze.
August 2, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Cook the beets before you peel them so they keep their color and their sweetness; otherwise, the juices run out during cooking.
November 13, 2010 at 5:29 pm
This probably outs me as the laziest cook ever, but do we really have to scrub the beets if we’re going to take the skin off anyway?
I made this salad tonight and it’s delicious!
November 14, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Glad you liked it! Hm, I guess you don’t have to scrub the skin, but it only takes 30 seconds anyway, so I don’t see why not.
July 26, 2011 at 7:25 am
I tried out this salad last night and it was an instant hit – even with my one year old! Since corn is in season right now, I used fresh ones and it turned out perfect. I didn’t have red wine vinegar so instead substituted half balsamic and half white wine. YUM YUM! Most other recipes I was looking at on line used pickled/canned beets, but roasting them really brings out the best flavour. Thanks for sharing your recipe and pictures!
July 26, 2011 at 8:33 am
Glad you (and your 1 year old) liked it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions.
May 23, 2012 at 11:45 pm
This looks super! Can’t wait to give it a whirl…thanks for the suggestion 🙂