Marinated Beets

Marinated Beets Recipe

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beets;
• 1 tbsp Paleo cooking fat, melted;
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme and/or savory;
• 2 onions, sliced in thin rounds;
• 1/2 tsp salt;
• 1 cup white wine vinegar;
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorns;
• 6 whole cloves;
• 6 whole allspice berries;
• 2 wide strips lemon zest;
• 2 sprigs fresh dill;
• 2 1 quart jars;

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. While the oven heats up, prepare the beets by scrubbing them clean of any excess dirt. Also remove the stems and root tip.
3. Line a large baking dish with aluminium foil to cover both the bottom and enough to fold over the top of the beets. Place the beets atop the foil and drizzle with the cooking fat. Cover with thyme and savory. Fold the excess foil over the beets and seal them in, as if you were creating an envelope. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until tender.
4. Once the beets have cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool enough so that they can be handled, but still warm. This is key, as they need to be warm in order to easily remove the skin. Remove the skin and allow them to cool off completely.
5. Place the sliced onions in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Set them aside like this for 10 minutes. This will make them tender, which will stimulate the marinading processes.
6. Once the beets have cooled, slice them in 1/4″ rounds.
7. As soon as 10 minutes has passed, begin layering the onions and beets in the jars.
8. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar with the salt, peppercorns, cloves, allspice berries and lemon zest. Stir well and then pour half the mixture into each jar, trying to make sure that the spices are split in equal portions in each jar.
9. Seal the jars and place them in the fridge for at least one day before serving.