September 19, 2026 Post by : Editorial Plant-Based Recipes

Beets have a way of dividing people. Some find them earthy and sweet, others detect only the taste of soil. I suspect the divide has less to do with the vegetable than with how it is cooked. Boiled beets are a tragedy. Roasted beets are good. But beets buried in the embers of a wood fire, their skins blackened and their sugars concentrated by the dry heat, are something else entirely, and they have converted more than one beet skeptic at my table.

The technique is simple, but it requires patience and a willingness to get your hands dirty. You need a fire that has burned down to coals, a pair of long tongs, and beets of roughly equal size so they cook evenly. I like to use small to medium beets, about the size of a plum, because they cook through before the outside turns to carbon.

Into the Embers

Rake the coals into an even bed and nestle the beets directly into them, leaving a little space between each one. Cover them with another thin layer of coals. Walk away. Come back in forty minutes and check one by piercing it with a skewer. If it slides in with no resistance, they are done. If not, give them another fifteen minutes.

When they are ready, pull them out with tongs and let them cool just until you can handle them. The skins will slip off easily under running water, or you can rub them off with a paper towel. What you are left with is a beet that is dense, faintly smoky, and sweeter than any beet you have had before.

The Dressing, and Why It Works

Beets need acid and fat to balance their sugar, and this dressing provides both. Whisk together the juice and zest of one orange, a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and three tablespoons of walnut oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the warm beets in the dressing and let them sit for ten minutes so they absorb it.

Finish with toasted walnuts, a handful of chopped dill or parsley, and a few shavings of orange peel. A crumble of vegan feta, if you have it, adds a pleasant saltiness, though the dish is complete without it. Serve it warm or at room temperature. It holds up well on a buffet and pairs beautifully with a piece of grilled bread and a glass of something dry and white.

What I love about this dish is how it turns a humble root vegetable into something that feels almost ceremonial. The fire does most of the work. You simply have to trust it and wait. That, in the end, is the whole philosophy of cooking this way.

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