A little salt and sugar, a pair of vegetables whose sweetness is easily coaxed, and butter: That's all you need to roast the easiest unexpected side dish of summer. The combination works in the oven or in the embers of a grill.
Serve over couscous or alongside grilled meats.
Foil-Roasted Beets and Vidalia Onions
With Butter, Lime and Sea Salt
1 tablespoon sea salt, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup sugar
4 large beets, trimmed and scrubbed well
4 Vidalia or other sweet onions
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves (optional)
Lime wedges, for garnish
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together the salt and sugar in a small bowl. Cut 16 (8-inch) squares of aluminum foil, then use them to create eight sets of two-ply foil squares.
Place 1 beet on each of 4 squares; same with the onions. Top each with 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the salt-sugar mixture. Top with a few mint leaves, if desired.
Wrap each into a tightly sealed packet, placing them all on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 1 hour, until tender with some caramelized edges.
Alternately, the foil packets can be cooked directly on the coals in a grill, which can take up to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the strength of the heat.
Carefully open each packet, avoiding a rush of steam. Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board; cut the beets into halves or quarters and the onions into bite-size pieces. (If you would like more edges to be caramelized or look a bit charred, place the vegetables directly on the baking sheet and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.)
Serve warm, with pan juices, a squeeze of juice from the lime wedges and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Makes 4 to 8 servings.
Adapted from Turnip Greens & Tortillas: A Mexican Chef Spices Up the Southern Kitchen by Eddie Hernandez and Susan Puckett
Food on 08/08/2018