I tried this yesterday for the first time, it is the best way that I've ever eaten beetroot (we just call them 'beets' over here).
The beets we had were quite large, bigger than fist-sized. One was a golden beet, the other was red and white in concentric rings. I anticipated some trouble peeling them, so after scrubbing them thoroughly, and cutting off tops, bottoms, and "eyes", I popped them in a pan of boiling water for about five minutes, rinsed with cold water, then let them continue to cool until easily handled. The skin would not separate easily, so I peeled it with a knife, and removed any discolored areas.
I pre-heated the oven to 375°F (190°C), then cut each beet root into wedge-shaped slices for roasting, no more than 2 cm thick.
Cover a large baking sheet with baking parchment paper. Arrange the slices on the parchment. Drizzle or baste each wedge with a little olive oil.
When the oven reaches temperature, place the baking sheet in the oven. After 25 minutes, turn the slices over with a spatula. Baste with a little more olive oil and roast additional time as needed. Roast another 15 minutes or so. Check for tenderness with a fork (I roasted mine for about 50 minutes in total). When done, the wedges will be lightly caramelized on the outside, and tender all the way through.
Remove the wedges from the parchment to a plate. Sprinkle with a little salt and crumbled queso fresco (here, this is a Mexican fresh cheese with a crumbly texture; you could probably substitute feta or goat cheese, or ricotta, or even blue cheese). Sprinkle with roasted sunflower seeds (salted or unsalted, as you prefer). For me, the final touch is a light sprinkle of balsamic vinegar, but you can omit if you prefer.
The salt and cheese (and vinegar if used) gives a good flavor balance with the sweetness of the beets and nutty taste of the sunflower seeds. The golden and red/white beets are a little less sweet than many red beets (but I prefer that in a beet anyway).
Son #2 really loved this recipe, comparing the overall sweetness and flavor to sweet corn.
