In a world full of vegetables, give beets a chance

Not everyone loves beets. Their earthy, often minerally sweet taste can make them difficult to match with other ingredients. But their jewel-like colors and complex flavors ignite winter salads and grain pilafs, and their sugars nicely balance with lip-tingling pickles that are easy and quick to make.

Like all root vegetables, beets are best grown organically in good soil on nearby farms. At farmers markets and co-ops, look for red, gold, striped Chiogga (aka candy cane), white sugar beets and an orange Danish variety that looks more like a carrot. They all cook and taste relatively the same. Their bright green tops are delicious sautéed, but do not store well. Remove them and cook them right away, or store separately in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper for up to three days. The bulbs are best kept in the refrigerator, not in a plastic bag that traps moisture, where they will keep for a month.

The season's mature beets, about the size of a tennis ball, are best roasted in the oven wrapped in foil. They take some time, so plan to roast up a big batch to use right away and to have on hand. Store cooked beets in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. The juice that seeps from a cut red beet marks everything it touches, especially your hands and shirt. (Do not wear white when cooking beets!) Leaving the skin on as they roast helps keep the juices intact; it peels off easily once they've cooled.

Wintry salads of cooked beets are best dressed with bold vinaigrettes made with citrus or sharp vinegars and mustard, dill or rosemary. Or try pungent spices like ginger and curry in a tangy yogurt dressing that plays up to the beets' warmer, sweeter side.

Serves 4 to 6.

Served warm or at room temperature, the sweet, earthy nature of red and yellow beets gets a boost from tangy yogurt spiked with curry and ginger. Bake the beets separately to keep the yellow beets from turning pink. From Beth Dooley.

• 2 to 2 1/2 lb. gold and red beets, scrubbed

• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

• 2 to 3 tsp. good quality curry powder, to taste

• 1/2 c. whole milk plain yogurt

• 1 tsp. honey, to taste

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 small white onion, cut into 1-in. pieces

• 2 to 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the red and gold beets in separate packets of aluminum foil and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the beets until a sharp knife easily pierces the center of the largest beet (1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the beets). Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small dish, whisk together the ginger, lime juice, curry powder, yogurt and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the beets and the onion on a platter or individual serving plates and sprinkle the beets with a little of the chopped cilantro. Set the yogurt dressing in a small dish, garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve on the side.

Beth Dooley is the author of "The Perennial Kitchen." Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com.