This is the best way to do beets. Love them this way.

We raise beets in our garden. Just pull them, cut off the tops, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of the stems. Wash good, put in a kettle of water and boil until fork tender. Pour off the water, and replace with cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel. I like them sliced and reheated with butter. Also, I like Harvard Beets. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 - 4 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tablespoons margarine. Bring to a boil and cook until thick. Stir in beets and let stand until sauce is red. I also can pickled beets. Combine equal parts vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add a hand full of whole cloves. Put beets in boiling liquid and bring to boil again. Place beets into hot sterilized jars, cover with liquid and add 1/2 teaspoon salt per pint. Seal with 2-piece lids. Place in boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes to assure seal.

This is the way we always did them. Harvard beets are one of my favorite dishes. Also love pickled beets.

I scrub the beets and leave whole, cut the tops off leaving about 1 1/2" of stem,put the round rack in the pressure cooker add 1 1/2 cups of water, cook for 15-20 minutes depending on size. Then peel and slice when they are finished cooking. I cook the beet greens like spinach, yummy!
If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can steam your beets in steamer pan for about 20 minutes or until tender.

I did not know the greens were edible... Grew them for the first time in our garden last year and this year will use all of the plant! I make beet soup...first boil with about 2" of stem still attached until med soft....cool &skin as others have said, then I dice, put back into pot of water....and cook on until tender...the water will turn red,add some sugar and then some sour cream, soup will turn pink. I make homemade drop noodles for it and then I enjoy....makes me think I am at my grandmother's house....oh, so long ago........she came from Poland and this is very much peasant food,yummy....

Cut the tops off and lay them aside for another dish. Wash them well. Cut the root area off too. DO NOT PEEL them. Split them in half from top to bottom. NO Foil needed, that steams them.
Place them cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and just like a potato, roast them at 375 degrees untill fork tender.

Let them cool a bit and the skin slips right off. Sometimes they are so tender you can even eat the skin.

Roasting them lets the natural sugar carmelize and this wonderful veggie is perfect with just a little butter S&P.

They are great in salads or pickled. Love them!

Please try this method. Love your beets and treat them right. Boiling them just destroys their goodness, you might think they taste great but after you try them roasted you will wonder why you never thought of it before. Yummy in the tummy!

Roasted beets are the yummiest! Trim, peel or not, cut up, toss with a little olive oil, dump on a baking sheet and roast in oven (350° is good, or whatever you're using for another item) until just tender (maybe 30-60 minutes, depending on size and temp). They dehydrate slightly, and caramelize a bit, intensifying their sweetness. Can do other veggies--potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower--the same way and even at the same time; just don't mix the beets together with them or all the veggies will be spotted red! Unless you're using yellow beets, of course, then go ahead and mix together.

Now I'm off to add fresh beets to my grocery list. ;)yum

Our stores usually sell 3 in a bunch. (for $3.98) If they are the size of a tennis ball, they will be done boiling in about 45 minutes. Smaller take less time and larger take more. I leave about 1/2 inch of root and 1/2 inch of stem on top to keep them intact. When soft (prick with fork) to test for doneness. (Friends that see them cooking say "I hate beets." I get them to try a bite size piece and they become beet lovers.) When they are cool to touch, I hold them under cold running water and slide the skin off. I don't waste a LOT of time scrubbing them because I throw the water away. I eat one immediately like an apple. If the greens are healthy looking, I wash the stems and leaves and cut into bite-size pieces for a vegetable or to make Borsch. If not, I just eat them. If stems/greeens good, I might make my Ukranian Grandmother's Recipe for Borscht. When the soup was finished and delicious, she added a whiskey shot glass of vinegar to bring out the color. When the red soup was served one added one's own sour cream, turning it pink. When I make it, I make a big batch and freeze individual containers for ongoing good health.

Ater making Harvard beets, (several good recipes on this thread), I add a small can of mandarin oranges. mmmm.

whenever I try roasted beets, they seem to turn out stringy, dry, and tough. What am I doing wrong? Roasted beets sound so good, but not the way I do them...

sounds weird, but yummy: I heat my pickled beets to eat as a veggie dish, often dice a pickled beet to add to a green salad.