Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds golden or red beets, trimmed and halved horizontally
1 1/4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Method
1. Place beets, cut side down, in single layer in large sauté pan or Dutch oven. Add water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer and educe heat to low. Cover and simmer until beets are tender and tip of paring knife inserted into beets meets no resistance. Cooking time depends on the size of the beets. Larger ones may take up to 40 minutes to cook while smaller ones will only take around 30 minutes.
2. Transfer beets to cutting board. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce cooking liquid, stirring occasionally, until pan is almost dry, 5 to 6 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar; return to boil; and cook, stirring constantly with heat-resistant spatula, until spatula leaves wide trail when dragged through glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
3. When beets cool enough, rub off skins with paper towel and cut into bite sized wedges. Combine beets, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to glaze and toss to coat. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the beets and give them one final quick stir. Transfer beets to serving dish.