Cannundrums: Golden Beets

It has only been the last few years that I've come to like beets. I've learned to like them pickled, roasted, baked and even raw. But they are nasty to work with as they stain everything they come in contact with. Then I had some golden beet for the first time in a dish at Au Cinquieme Peche in Montreal. It was yellow and had a nice mild flavor. I thought, "I could really like these, I need to try them again." They are not available in the regular grocery stores we go to. But I've been able to have them three more times: once in a produce box we get from a local farm, once from a specialty health food store and once from a community market. I've found that they have a more mild taste, with less of an earthy taste, than red beets, they are much cleaner to work with because you avoid the stained red hands and sink, and they taste better raw or only partially cooked, than red beets do. When roasting multiple vegetables, they also make a wonderful color choice along with red beets, peppers, Brussels sprouts, etc.