Beet Salad with Yogurt Dressing

In traditional Indian cooking, beets are either steamed or boiled. I prefer to roast them in the oven. I find that this releases their true flavor. If you can find different colored beets, it makes for a prettier salad, but red beets taste just fine.

A note about the dressing: When you begin to drizzle it on the beets, the first thought you will have is that it is a lot of dressing! Drizzle a bit, wait a few minutes, and then drizzle some more. The beets will absorb the dressing. Also, there is about a tablespoon of extra dressing since I find many people ask for more of this dressing once they begin eating the salad!

Serves 4

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes hands-on, plus 50 minutes for baking the beets

Ingredients for the Beets:

• 4 medium beets, different colors if possible, trimmed
  
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground white pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1 teaspoon table salt
  
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  

Ingredients for the Dressing:

• 3⁄4 cup plain yogurt, stirred
  
• 1⁄4 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar 1⁄8 teaspoon table salt
  
  

To Roast the Beets:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the beets well and pat them dry.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the pepper, oil, salt, and coriander. Add the beets and mix well.
3. Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil, and wrap tightly ensuring that they stay in a single layer. Make sure the package is tightly closed to keep the steam inside as the beets cook. (If you are using different colors of beets, wrap each color separately.) Discard any remaining marinade. Place the foil packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes, until the beets are cooked through. Beets are cooked through when they are easily pierced with a knife.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Remove the beets from the foil. You will notice that the skin peels off very easily with your fingers or a paring knife. The spice marinade may have concentrated itself on parts of a beet. If so, gently scrape it off with a knife.
6. Cut the beets in wedges and arrange on a plate.

To Make the Dressing:

1. Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. If you prefer a thinner dressing, you can add a little water but do nit add any oil to the dressing.
2. Spoon the dressing over the beets and serve immediately.