Salt Crusted Beets

A couple of years ago I prepared beets by salt crusting them. When I saw the beautiful red and golden beets at the Farmer's Market I knew I had to make them again. I bought three of each color and headed home. The salt crusting method of cooking is a bit labor intensive and messy but once you taste them cooked this way, you'll know it was worth it.

The salt crust is kosher salt with herbs, egg whites and water. A three pound box of kosher salt is needed to cover 6 medium sized beets.  Do yourself a favor and line the pan with foil or parchment to ease in removal of the best after cooking. You start by putting a small layer of the salt crust in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Trim and scrub the beets but do not peel them. Place them in the pan and cover each with a mound of the salt, making sure they are not touching each other.

It should look like this when ready to go in the oven.

Place the baking pan in a 425 degree oven and roast until the salt crust is hard. Use a knife to cut into the crust and test the best for doneness. When the beets are soft, remove the pan from the oven and allow the best to cool completely. Usinga mallet or meat tenderizer to crack the crust open and carefully extract each beet.

Once all the bets are removed brush any remaining salt off and us peel using a paring knife. The beets can be eaten as is or used in a salad.