Thyme-Roasted Beets with Walnuts and Chevre

Before Sunday, I had never really cared for beets. A taste here, a bite there — all were less than memorable, even if the vegetable was pink. But that all changed this weekend, when I encountered my first roasted beet at Founding Farmers, my new favorite restaurant in Maryland.

Beets are earthy — to me they literally smell like dirt soil. But when roasted at high temperatures, they turn sweet, their copious amounts of sugar caramelizing to an almost candy-like state. While nibbling on a roasted-to-the-point-of-near-death beet and then another and then another, I contemplated my previously beet-free existence. That dirt flavor mellows. Into something sweet and candy-like. But it’s a vegetable, so it’s good for you. And it’s a beautiful magenta color. Where has this been all my life?

To make up for the years of missed opportunities, I dragged Isabel and Nila straight from brunch to the grocery store, and came home with two bunches of baby beets. I immediately thought of a recipe I had seen on Kiss My Spatula months before, memorable because of the beautiful, colorful pictures. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs to begin with, so thyme-roasted beets it was.

Rooting around in the kitchen, I found some goat cheese and some walnuts, a perfect pairing for my roasted beets. A little toasting of the nuts in a skillet, a little crumbling of the goat cheese, some peeling of warm beet skins (this is by far the most tedious part of the recipe, and leaves your fingers a shocking shade of fuschia) and voila!

A side dish that is tangy and sweet and earthy and snappy — perfect for a Thanksgiving meal, if I do say so myself. If you, like me, care more about the sides on Thanksgiving than the turkey itself, then this is a dish for you.

Note: If you’re still shoring up your Thanksgiving menu (coughwithonlyafewdaysleft?Iwouldneverdothatobvicough), here are a few of my favorites, compiled into a neat little recipe archive. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments!

Thyme-Roasted Beets with Walnuts and Chevre
Adapted from Kiss My Spatula

– 5 sprigs fresh thyme

– 2 bunches baby beets, tops trimmed and skins scrubbed*

– 1 tablespoon olive oil

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, broken into chunks

– 1 ounce walnuts

*Save the greens. They’re excellent sauteed in olive oil with a little minced garlic, salt, pepper and pinch of red pepper flakes.

1) Preheat the oven to 400ËšF. Stem the thyme leaves, then toss with the beets, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2) Place the beets on a large sheet of tin foil, then wrap and cover them to form a pouch. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until a fork pierces the beets easily. Let the beets cool slightly. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into wedges.

3) While the beets are roasting, toast the walnuts on medium-high heat in a skillet for 5-7 minutes, until they start to brown and smell nutty. (If you have a toaster oven, you can also heat them at 375ËšF for 5-7 minutes.)

4) Toss the beet wedges with the goat cheese and walnuts, and serve alone or over a bed of mixed greens.

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