Ingredients

2 lbs of beets, stems cut off, no need to peel

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

Sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish optional

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400*

Wash and scrub each beet.

Wrap each beet individually in foil.

Place the wrapped beets onto a baking tray and roast for 50 to 60 minutes. Test the beets after 50 minutes to see if a fork will pierce into the beet.

Let the beets cool to room temperature for ease of handling.

When the beets are cool, slip off the skins, the skins should easily come off the roasted beets. You may want to wear gloves if you don't want your hands to be red.

The beets can then be stored in the fridge at this point if you want. Or continue right to glazing them. Note: you can most certainly boil beets in a large pot of water instead of roasting them. It actually takes about ½ the time to boil beets, and they will be delicious that way too. I prefer to roast them as the flavor intensifies just a bit in the roasting process.

When you are ready to cook the beets.

Cut the roasted beets into wedges or slices.

Heat a large skillet to medium heat.

To the hot skillet, add the olive oil, maple syrup, and the vinegar.

Let the mixture come to a boil and reduce by half. Be careful not to over reduce as the mixture will actually caramelize and become too thick to mix in the beets.

Add the salt, pepper, and the thyme and let cook for a minute, stirring constantly.

Add the beets and stir to combine.

Let the beets simmer in the glaze until the glaze has thickened again (the beets will give off some of their moisture. You want the glaze to be syrupy. Somewhere in the 5-10 minute range.

These Beets can be served hot or chilled. They are great with some fresh goat cheese and toasted walnuts or on a salad. Or just with a fork!

Recipe by: whattomunch.com