photo courtesy of PinchmysaltBeets. I remember my first encounter with them as a high school student. I was working my very first job in a local nieghborhood restaurant and one of my responsibilities was to make the salads that were ordered. They had the usual salad bar suspects – lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, etc. One item on the bar that I found were peculiar were chopped beets. These super red chunks swimming in purplish red liquid skeeved me out. First off, I wasn’t even sure if they were a fruit or a vegetable!
When I tried one from the salad bar, I immediately thought they tasted like super sweet corn kernels straight from the can… or at least smelled like it came out of a can of corn. Since then I decided I wasn’t going to subject myself to beet anywhere near my plate or mouth. It just didn’t do anything for me and the color was enough to make me think twice.
Aaaah, but time has changed my view on beets. At upscale restaurants among colleagues I was served roasted beets with sweet orange segments and forced myself to eat them so I wouldn’t look rude at the table. When I joined a CSA program, I got a handful of beets and didn’t have the heart to throw them out so I roasted them. At the grocery store, I was surprised to learn one of my favorite brands of vegetable chips (Terra Chips) were made with beets.
So if you were like me and were skeptical about this ruby red root vegetable, I’m here to encourage you to give them a try – in many different forms. One particular form I enjoy beets in is chips! They are super easy to make and healthy too…
4 beets, scrubbed -do not peel
nonstick cooking spray
kosher or sea salt to taste
Using the slicing blade of your food processor, a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice beets thinly. You want them to be the size of a potato chip.
Spread evenly on a cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray and season with salt.
Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don’t burn. You may need to roast for a shorter or longer period of time depending on your oven and how crisp you want them – so keep an eye on them.
Serve as is, or with sour cream or another favorite dip.
We love different colored chips like sweet potatoes and blue potatoes. I’ll make them this weekend. Thanks for sharing.:)
Those look soooo good! I’ve never had a beet because they intimidate me but this seems simple enough. I’ll be giving it a try soon!
YUM! These look amazing! I can’t wait to try these …
You make beets look good. My husband loves them and after seeing yours, maybe I’m missing something.
Sam
Oooh I like beets but I’ve never tried them in ‘chip’ form. Thanks for the idea!
I love beets, but I’ve never had beet chips. I always wonder about them at WF. I’ll have to try making my own. Yum.
I don’t even like beets but this recipe has inspired me to give them another shot! Thanks!
I’m not a beet fan either but these chips look tasty! I don’t know of any other beet preparation I’ve seen that are anywhere near as tempting or interesting as these. Thanks!
OMG YUM! Those look fantastic. My favorite Terra chips are the beets and sweet potatoes.
I think I might try these next time beets make an appearance at my local farmers market.
I never used to like beets. I’m working on myself to change that!
These look great !! thanks so much for posting your experiences with the recipe. I am hoping to try this tonight!
How far in advance can you make these and how do you store them?
Just found this great post through Jenncuisine today. I can't wait to make these for our Memorial Day gathering. I think I'll serve them with feta dip and cocktails. Thanks for sharing!
I've always loved fresh beets, but cooking them for other is another story. This looks like the recipe to change people's minds about beets.