Recipe: Beets with Lemon

by John Ryan

Beets with Lemon

Serves 2 as a side dish

The drag here is that you need cooked beets to make this sauté quick. However, you can simmer or bake the beets a day or two in advance. I recommend this recipe to those of you who think beets taste like dirt (I know you're out there). Lemon juice does remarkable things to beets.

1 cup diced cooked beets
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Preliminary step—Cook the beets:
Simmer in water to cover (or bake them like a potato) until they are easily pierced with a knife. Put the beets under running cold water until you can handle them, then squeeze them out of their skins (they usually slip out of their skins like a cue ball out of a sock). This step can be done a day or two in advance.

1. Dice the cooked beets.

2. Heat your skillet over medium-high heat, then add the oil and swirl around the pan. Toss in the beets and shake and stir until the beets are hot. Pour in the lemon juice and shake the pan. The lemon juice should vaporize, leaving the beets glazed, dazed and confused. Salt and pepper and serve.