I love beets/beetroot. Red, gold and all the rainbow colors in between, they have a wonderful earthy sweetness that’s intensified by roasting, whether they’re peeled or left unpeeled.

Roasting beets with red onion adds a complimentary caramelized sweetness and the addition of Seville orange juice creates a lovely tart balancing act.

If you can’t find Seville oranges (they tend to be seasonal), simply substitute 1 part lime or lemon juice to two parts regular orange juice – all freshly squeezed and  not out of a carton.

This colorful dish goes well with roast pork, chicken, duck, burgers, lamb, sausages, even grilled salmon.

ROASTED BEETS with RED ONION, ORANGES & BAY

(Serve 4)

Ingredients:

4 medium sized raw beets, trimmed and peeled

2 medium size red onions, peeled, quartered, trimmed but still attached at the roots

3 tablespoons of extra-v olive oil

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves

The juice of one Seville orange (or substitute, as above)

1 whole sweet orange

Action:

Preheat the oven to 450F/230C.

Add the olive oil to a roasting pan that will hold everything quite snugly in one layer. Add the beets and onion and turn them around to give a good coating of oil; tuck in the bay leaves and give everything a good grind of salt and black pepper.

Roast for 40-45 minutes, turning the beets over and brushing the onion with oil halfway through. The beets should be tender when pierced with a knife and the onions should be caramelized.

Remove from the oven and pour the Seville orange juice (or substitute) over the vegetables and give the pan a shake to distribute it evenly. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary and serve with wedges of sweet orange to squeeze over.