Roasted Beets with Dill

So, I have decided that this will be the post where you get to know the real me.  And it’s a beet recipe.  Are you scared yet?

I am a raging hypochondriac.  I like to blame it on my crazy mind extreme intelligence.  I am like a real live database of stored symptoms and scary horror stories of that one lady who had a strange pain and collapsed with an aneurysm and cancer all at the same time.  I don’t know why I do it to myself.  But I do.  I read too many health-related articles and then store up these little details only to be retrieved when I have a random condition.

Sore calf?  Blood clot on its way to my lungs.

Strange rash and an ear infection?  Antibiotic resistant Staph.

Lower back pain?  Cancer, of course.  Although, I am not entirely sure because I actually have major lower back pain right now and have yet to fully identify my condition.  It might be my culminating thesis project at WebMD.  I will graduate with a degree in “why the hell didn’t you actually become a doctor?”

And can I add something here?  Why is it that when you search on a symptom the first Google result is always from “wrongdiagnosis.com”?  I mean how shitty is that for someone like me?  Or how about the time I was going shoe shopping online and I typed in “nord” thinking that my browser would autofill with “nordstrom.com” (I go there a lot) and it actually took me to the National Organization of Rare Disorders?  Does the interweb realize what it did to me that day?

So, as I weave my way back to beets, I should tell you that I have a wonderful husband.  He puts up with my craziness and still loves me.  At times he needs to ban me from my computer, but it’s usually for my own good.  And the other really nice thing he always does for me?  He always reminds me when I have eaten beets.  It’s something only your mother or your mate of 13 years can do.  And I love him so much for it.   Because otherwise who knows what path I would go down the next day … but I’m guessing it would have to do with some major gastrointestinal disease.

And now that we have become intimate with one another, here’s a great and easy recipe for roasted beets.  They are truly delicious and my kids (surprisingly) really enjoy them.   Just make sure you remind them that they ate beets.  But actually, the little girls might think it is pretty cool to have pink pee.

Roasted Beets with Dill

Serves 4

1 bunch of beets (about 5 or 6 medium beets), greens removed and saved for another use
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 T butter
1 T chopped fresh dill (other herbs are great too)

1.  Preheat oven to 450 F.  Scrub beets and remove greens, leaving about one inch of stem attached to the beets.  (There is no need to trim the root end, just wash them well).

2. Lay out a large piece of foil and place beets in the center.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap up foil around beets into a small packet.  Make sure it is wrapped tightly and sealed well.

3.  Place packet on a small baking tray (just so it doesn’t leak) and put in preheated oven.  Bake for about 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the largest beet meets no resistance.  Obvioulsy, smaller beets take less time, larger more…  If they are not done, simply wrap them back up and cook a few more minutes.

4.  Remove from oven and put one beet on a paper towel.  Trim ends (you can keep stem ends on if you like, but I find that soil and grit get trapped in there easily).  Using another paper towel, rub off beet skins and discard.  They should come off without any trouble.  Repeat with remaining beets.  Put whole beets in a bowl until ready to serve and cover with foil.

5.  When ready to serve, slice or quarter beets into the size you like (or leave whole if they are small).  Toss with butter, additional salt and pepper to taste, and fresh dill.