beetroot crisps

… I know that pumpkins are the king of vegetables at halloween but as far as i’m concerned beetroot is the secret star of the spooky holiday… I was thinking about all the fun halloween baking that i’ll be doing later in the month and I thought that perhaps I ought to make something that was a little on the healthier side but still has that creepy feeling to it and beetroot is just perfect.  One chop into its hardened flesh reveals an outpouring of blood-red juice that stains the hands in a way that would make Lady Macbeth think twice.  This brilliant vegetable is incredibly healthy for your heart and is incredibly versatile working well in both savoury and sweet dishes.  It’s earthiness cuts through rich stews such as this chicken thigh and beetroot roast whilst it’s texture and depth of flavour combines beautifully in this lush beetroot and dark chocolate brownie.  I love roasting it like a potato with balsamic vinegar and olive oil as the earthy flavour seems to intensify and these beetroot crisps have that wonderful quality to them, plus they look so darkly evil, how could you not love them?

O’live is a new, quality organic fresh produce brand currently available in Whole Foods market stores.  With a specific focus on organic salad vegetables, O’live grows and selects only the finest produce, ensuring it brings us lot truly the best of organic… and yes, it can be an expensive playground but if you’re going to spoil yourself once in a while let’s make it taste amazing shall we?  The current range comprises five products; celery, fresh beetroot, cos lettuce, little gem lettuce and spring onions, all of which feature minimal packaging (my big bug bear) which helps further minimise the brand’s impact on the environment…  I was sent the range to try and review last week and I have to admit it all went very quickly.  We eat a lot of salad during the week and so much of it can be so bland and dull so it is nice to treat yourself once in a while… the beetroot was set aside for my crisps which The Viking and I munched whilst watching our favourite horror flick 28 Days Later, just for practice for the big day at the end of the month!

4 large beetroot – skin on, very thinly sliced
olive oil or spray (I used my new favourite Lurpak Cooking Mist
salt and pepper
fresh thyme

prepare 2 or 3 flat baking sheets with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 160C

cut the beetroot as thin as possible, you could use a mandolin but I did them by hand as I like a chunky chip

if you’re using olive oil then place them into a large bowl, sprinkle with seasoning and drizzle with a good glut of olive oil and then get your hands in and stir them up

lay them out evenly on your baking tray – if you’re using a spray oil then do this first and spray them once they’re laid out

bake on 160C for 10 mins, then turn and re-spray and bake for another 10 mins… if you’ve cut them really thin you’ll need to watch them like a hawk so they don’t burn.  I baked mine for about 30 mins in total and then turned the oven off and let them stay in the cooling oven to dry out

set them aside to cool completely, season again if you feel they need a little extra salt and then serve them in little paper cones

eat and of course, enjoy!