While I was at UCLA to give a talk, Norton Wise took me to a fabulous restaurant, and because of something on the menu featuring beets, we got to talking beets. He then gave me this recipe, which I love. Even people who aren’t wild about beets are wild about these beets. If you don’t want to heat up your oven for an hour just for this, make these while you’re cooking something else alongside, like an apple pie or a casserole. You can also make these if you’re camping, by nestling them in a campfire for about an hour. (Camping doesn’t mean you can’t eat fabulous food! It just means you can’t sleep comfortably.)

Ingredients:

beets, fresh and whole, unpeeled

fresh dill, washed, dried, and chopped, just before you need it

lemons

good quality olive oil

kosher salt

Directions:

1. 1.Wash the beets, but don’t peel them. Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil, shiny side in.
   

2. 2.Cook in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, or until soft when poked with a toothpick.
   

3. 3.Remove the beets from the oven and unwrap. As soon as you can stand it, use your hands to rub off the skin. (The skin will come off easily.) If you don’t want to stain yourself purple for several days, wear gloves.
   

4. 4.Slice thickly (or dice). Dress with the chopped dill, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
   

Thanks, Norton!

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