Crispy Air Fryer Beets

published about 2 hours ago

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Air frying beets is a quick and easy way to create a nutritious and colorful side dish . The concentrated heat from the air fryer halves the time it would take to roast beets in the oven, and your results will be even crispier.

Ever since reading the The Nimble Cook , I’ve been obsessed with making spiced salts. So rather than just tossing the beets with basic salt and pepper, I’ve created a bay salt, which is made very quickly and easily by whizzing together some dried bay leaves with salt and a pinch of ground white pepper. You will (intentionally) have leftover bay salt here. Trust me: You’ll thank me later. Beyond beets, the bay salt also goes particularly well sprinkled over baked or mashed potatoes , fried or boiled eggs , and on pizza , as I just happily (and accidentally) discovered,

If you don’t have a spice grinder, you can substitute the bay leaves with 1 tablespoon of lightly toasted coriander seeds to create coriander salt instead, which goes equally well. Transfer the coriander seeds to a mortar and pestle with the salt to crush to a coarse powder. Alternatively, use a zip-top bag and a rolling pin to pound it instead. It will not get as fine as using a spice grinder, but as long as it’s ground reasonably well, it will still work out great. (Unfortunately, these methods do not work for bay leaves.)

Instead of sprinkling the beets with a fresh herb at the end, I’ve used some of the highly nutritious (and often underused) beet greens. If your beets didn’t come with any greens, just toss with a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley or chives.

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Is It Better to Peel Beets Before or After Roasting?

When air frying or roasting cut beets , it’s always best to peel beforehand. The skin can be a little leathery, especially on larger beets, so it’s best to peel and trim away the gnarly tops.

What Is the Easiest Way to Peel Beets?

A vegetable peeler or pairing knife works well. Using disposable gloves is highly encouraged to avoid getting stained hands. The color may bleed into your cutting boards , so make sure you wash and scrub it right away after using.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Beets?

Add to most salads ! They go exceptionally well with creamy cheeses, like goat cheese and feta, and are a match made in heaven with bitter, crunchy walnuts.
Use air-fried beets in any grain bowl .
Top hummus with the cooked beets, or even add to hummus when making from scratch .
Whisk together 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and toss beets into the dressing.

Credit: Shilpa Uskokovic

How to Cook Whole Beets in an Air Fryer

You can cook whole, unpeeled beets very well in an air fryer. Once scrubbed and trimmed, wrap beets tightly in foil and air fry for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until fork-tender. Let cool slightly, then use paper towels to wipe away the skins.

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Air Fryer Beets Recipe

Yield Serves 2

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 18 minutes to 20 minutes

alcohol-free
egg-free
dairy-free
low-carb
fish-free
peanut-free
vegetarian
shellfish-free
vegan
pescatarian
sugar-conscious
gluten-free
tree-nut-free
pork-free
wheat-free
red-meat-free
high-fiber

Per serving, based on 2 servings. (% daily value)

Calories 246
Fat 22.0 g (33.9%)
Saturated 2.0 g (9.9%)
Carbs 11.6 g (3.9%)
Fiber 5.2 g (20.8%)
Sugars 0.6 g
Protein 2.8 g (5.7%)
Sodium 333.3 mg (13.9%)

Ingredients

For the bay salt:

1/4 cup
loosely packed broken dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons
kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon
ground white pepper

For the beets:

2 bunches
(about 3 pounds) beets (red, golden, or mixed), beet greens reserved
1 tablespoon
olive oil
1 teaspoon
bay salt, divided
Cooking spray

Instructions

Add 1/4 cup broken bay leaves to a spice grinder with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper. Pulse until it becomes a fine green powder, around 10 pulses. If needed, sieve through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any small pieces of bay leaves that didn’t grind. Set aside.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 10 minutes.
Finely shred 5 medium beet green leaves (about 3/4 cup). Wash and rinse greens with a salad spinner or fine-mesh strainer. Set aside.
Scrub, trim, and peel beets. Cut into 1-inch pieces (just over 3 cups).
Transfer beets to a medium bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon the bay salt. (If you are using a mix of beets, the red color will bleed onto the golden beets, so you may wish to toss in separate bowls, but this is not essential.)
Lightly coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place beets in a single layer in the basket. Air fry for 10 minutes. Flip the beets and cook until caramelized at the edges and fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.
When ready to serve, toss beets with 3/4 cup shredded beet greens and sprinkle with another 1/4 teaspoon bay leaf salt.

Recipe Notes

Substitutions: If you don’t have a spice grinder, lightly toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds then transfer to a mortar and pestle with the salt to crush to a coarse powder. (Alternatively, transfer to a large zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to pound it instead.) It will not get as fine as using a spice grinder, but as long as it’s ground reasonably well, it will still work out great. (Unfortunately, these methods do not work for bay leaves.)

Storage: Leftover cooked beets can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Tara Holland

Contributor

Tara Holland is a British mom of two teenage girls residing in Brooklyn. She changed her successful career midlife from the financial corporate world to follow her culinary dream and graduated with honors at the Institute of Culinary Education in 2017. She went on to become an Assistant Food Editor at Rachael Ray Every Day magazine, and is now a freelance recipe developer, writer, and recipe tester.

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Source : food

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