Name: Roasted Beets with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons tahini; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme; 1 garlic clove , minced; ¼ teaspoon table salt; 2 pounds beets , trimmed, peeled, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 4 garlic cloves , smashed and peeled; 12 fresh thyme sprigs; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon table salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; ¾ cup water; 2 teaspoons sesame seeds , toasted; 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a beet cooking method that yielded beets that were seasoned all the way through. To get there, we found that peeling and cutting the beets before cooking them was better than cooking the beets whole. Cooking them together with water and oil helped them steam while they roasted. We removed the foil once the beets were tender and roasted them longer to ensure some savory browning. A stir-together sauce of tahini, lemon juice, fresh thyme, and raw garlic made for a perfect counterpoint to the sweet, earthy, roasted beets.

Before You Begin

To ensure even cooking, we recommend using beets of similar size—roughly 2 to 3 inches in diameter. If your beets are larger, cut the wedges in half crosswise. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (about 3 minutes); immediately remove the skillet from the heat to prevent scorching.

Instructions

for the dressing

Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth; set aside. (Dressing can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; stir to recombine and thin with water or lemon juice as needed before serving.)

for the beets

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss beets with oil, garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, salt, and pepper in large bowl until evenly coated. Transfer beets to 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Pour water into pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil; and roast until beets can be easily pierced with paring knife, 1 to 1¼ hours.

Remove pan from oven. Carefully remove foil, letting steam escape away from you, and return pan to oven. Roast until edges of beets are beginning to caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Let beets cool for 20 minutes.

Spread dressing evenly over serving platter. Arrange beets on top of dressing, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.