Growing up I hated beets. The only ones I ever ate were smooshy, tasteless ones from a jar. Several years ago, at Rupert's restaurant in Washington, DC, which sadly no longer exists, I tasted roasted beets in a salad with avocado, goat cheese and a bright, tangy dressing. I have been obsessed with beets ever since.
Lately, I have been batch-roasting, peeling, dicing and keeping them in a glass jar on my fridge door. I put them on toast with avocado and feta for breakfast, toss them into salads at lunch, and use them in my new clean-out-the-fridge-for-dinner favourite—grain bowls—to add a little extra colour. To roast beetroots: Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Wash and scrub dirt from 2-4 beets, then trim leaves* and stems. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven or a ceramic baking dish. Put whole beets into the baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Roll beets around to ensure the outside is covered in oil. Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour. Test the beets with a fork, if the fork inserts easily they are done. It's hard to over-cook them, so if the fork doesn't pierce to centre, roast a little longer. Remove from oven and cool. Peel the skin from the beets, it should slip off easily. Trim away hard top and bottom and any rough patches around the sides. Then slice or cube. Store in a GLASS jar in the fridge. Beets stain, so you really don't want to use plastic storage containers. *Beet leaves are delicious sautéed slightly with little garlic. You can toss the cooked beet root on top of the cooked leaves for a yummy side dish.