I never really cared for beets until I stumbled upon a lasagna recipe with roasted beets and an herbed béchamel sauce a few years back. I absolutely had to make it as my curiosity overwhelmed my otherwise lukewarm feelings about these vibrantly colored roots. It turned out to be (at the time) the best vegetarian lasagna I had ever eaten. Thus my beet craze began. I'm pretty sure I made that lasagna twice more in the month or two that followed, and I also started ordering beets at any restaurant that offered them on the menu.
There is this pub in Chicago that serves really good British food. You know, the stereotypical stuff: fish and chips, bangers and mash, scotch eggs, bubble and squeak. But though they have their staples, the rest of their menu is ever changing with the seasons. On one serendipitous occasion, I happened to order their roasted beets. It was tossed in an amazing pistachio vinaigrette and topped with a dollop of ricotta. I was through the moon, it was so good.
