Mashed Beets with Roasted Garlic

1. Rinse and scrub off the outside of the beets thoroughly in the sink, then blot dry with a paper towel.

2. Chop each end off the beets.

3. Coat the outside of the beets in 1/2 to 1 tbsp olive oil each, then wrap in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.

4. Get out a bulb of garlic and chop off the very end.  (Or, you can just peel two cloves since that’s all you’ll need for the recipe.)

5. If roasting the whole bulb of garlic, coat the outside with 1/2 to 1 tbsp olive oil.  (On the other hand, if you are just roasting two cloves, just sprinkle a tiny bit of olive oil over each clove.)

6. Wrap up the bulb of garlic in aluminum foil and place on baking sheet with the beets, or place the individual cloves if that’s all you’re working with.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

8. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes with both the beets and garlic, then take the garlic out and put the beets back in the oven so they can roast a total of 90 minutes.

9. When everything is done roasting, wait about 10 minutes for it to cool down, then unwrap the aluminum foil, place on cutting board.  Roughly chop the beets and rinse and drain in a colander.  Peel two cloves of the roasted garlic to use.

10. Place beets and garlic in a large bowl and use a fork or masher to mash.  If you prefer, you could also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, although you may want to mash by hand for just a little while before trying this.