beets (beetroots) are easy and delish

Right now the beets in our supermarket are huge. With beets, the flavor isn't noticeably affected by the size or color of the beets. I just buy the biggest ones, making sure they are hard like rocks, and, after cutting off the greens, throw them in the fridge where they can sit, quite safely, two or three weeks with no ill effects. As long as they are still hard and not moldy, they are fine.

To cook them, I simply wash them, cut the root and stems flat with the beet, and wrap those cute globes, skin still on, in foil. I then put them on a dish, also lined with foil so I don't have to listen to hubby-the-dishwasher whine about the concretions of burnt beet juice he needs to scrub. Into the oven they go for an hour or so depending on time and temperature, somewhere between 300F and 425F. They are not fussy about temp so you can easily cook them beside something else.

When a fork pokes easily through the foil and into the beet, they are done. Now you can peel and eat them still hot or toss them in the fridge, still wrapped in the foil, for up to a week. It's easier on your hands to peel them when cooled. No need for a peeler. Just rub the skins off with a paper towel.

The beets are ready to eat cold or hot, plain or pickled or Harvard, in a salad, or whatever.