Normally, roasting a beet is among the least onerous cooking tasks there is, but when the summer heat starts to kick in, sometimes you just can’t bear to turn on the oven. When that’s the case, try this: slice the beets thickly, slowly poach them in olive oil spiked with garlic and rosemary until tender, then throw them on the grill until they’re beautifully blistered and charred. Kind of different, really good.

Makes: 4 servings
Time: About 1 1/2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beets (get large ones; golden are nice, regular are totally fine)

• Olive oil to cover the beets

• 4 rosemary sprigs

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed

• Salt and pepper

• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

• 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Scrub the beets and peel them if you like. Slice them into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Lay the beets in a large skillet or shallow sauté pan, and pour in enough olive oil so that the beets are just submerged. Add the rosemary and garlic.

2. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until the olive oil begins to gently bubble. Adjust the heat so that the oil bubbles ever-so slightly, and cook, checking occasionally, until the beets are just tender (the tip of a paring knife should meet just a little bit of resistance when inserted), about 1 hour. Remove the beets from the pan and reserve the oil mixture.

3. Heat a charcoal or gas grill. Sprinkle the beets with salt and pepper and grill, turning once, until they’re nicely charred, about 2 minutes per side, depending on how hot your fire is. Transfer the beets to a serving platter and drizzle a little of the rosemary-garlic oil over the top (I like to add the crushed garlic cloves too). Garnish with the parsley, grate a little lemon zest over the top, and serve.

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