6-8 medium beets of your choice
2 teaspoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
½ teaspoon cumin, or to taste
½ teaspoon paprika, or to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. Scrub the beets. Keeping them whole with the bottoms still attached, place on the baking pan. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and bake for an hour or longer, uncovered, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Cool, peel, and cut the beets into bite-size pieces and place in a serving bowl.
4. Sprinkle the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika over the beets. Drizzle the 4 tablespoons olive oil over and toss with the beets. This can be done at least a day in advance.
5. Just before serving adjust the seasonings and sprinkle the parsley all over. Serve alone or with several other colorful salads.
