These french-fry shaped roasted Beets get crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You can prepare and serve alongside potato oven fries, but use a different pan to cook them to avoid turning the potatoes red. Roasting beets in the oven allows you to skip the step of peeling them, but you should scrub them with a brush before cutting to remove soil that can be hard to see.
Preheat the oven to 350. (Any hotter and the beets will burn instead of caramelizing)
Scrub 1 pound Beets with a brush under running water.
Cut any pointy roots off the beets, as well as the roughly textured area where the leaves were removed.
Cut the beets crosswise into slices 1/2″ thick. Cut the slices into fries the thickness you desire.
Brush a baking sheet or large cast iron skillet with enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom, mixed with 1/2 t. salt. Arrange the beets in a single layer.
Bake until the bottoms of the fries are crisp and are easy to remove from the pan. This may take half an hour or even longer.
When the fries are crisp on the bottom, remove them from the oven and use a fork or tongs to turn them to a second side — don’t worry, you’re not going to brown them on all sides, just two. Then return to the oven.
The second side will cook much more quickly than the first. Set a timer for 5 minutes, then check them and repeat if they need more time. When they are done, drizzle with the juice of half a lemon and stir with a spatula. The juice should evaporate completely. If it doesn’t, turn the heat off and return the pan to the oven for 2-3 minutes.