<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/beetgoatthymedip.JPG" alt="Golden Beet goat cheese thyme dip" width="400" height="391" /></p>
..well actually you can. As I kid I remember school dinners vividly - largely because for the most part, I actually LOVED them, but also because when there were things on the menu I hated, I hated them with a passion. Especially cooked beets. I really could never fathom why they were on the menu, I didn't know ANY kid that ate them, 'cept perhaps for that weird kid who had no friends and who had, in retrospect, a dubious home life.

The main reason I hated beetroot, was because it <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/my-heart-beets-for-you-107050">bled its colour</a> all over whatever else was on your plate. I found it the height of veggie-rudeness and an invasion of the personal space of everything else on my plate (yeah, I wasn't your *typical* kid..). So I protested and refused to eat them. It <em>offended</em> me, with its unsubtle nature.

Then a few months back I occasioned upon the '<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/side-dish/recipe-warm-golden-beet-salad-with-greens-and-almonds-116139">golden beet</a>'..I had never seen or heard of such a thing and for a moment wondered if it was the fodder of an April Fools day Joke. It was not.

So when I saw a recipe on <a href="http://coquetteanddove.blogspot.com/2010/06/finger-lickin-beets-me.html">C&amp;D for Beet, Goat Cheese and thyme dip</a>..I had to have a crack at it. Especially after finding golden beets at my <a href="http://cravenmaven.wordpress.com/2010/06/10/found-it-farmers-market/">local farmers market</a>!

The ingredients are quite straightforward:

<em>Roast beetroot, goat's cheese and thyme dip

2 medium golden beets
About 175g of mild soft rindless goat’s cheese
Leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
Cloves of garlic (or if you run out {!!!} a healthy teaspoon of crushed garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste</em>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/beetsngarlic.JPG" alt="beetsngarlic" width="400" height="391" /></p>
First clean and top n tail the beets..these ones were covered in soil so required  a good scrub. Then collect your garlic and place all of the goods into an oven safe dish. Cover with foil and bake for an hour..(I highly recommend the <a href="http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=07-1590-30&amp;?utm_source=google%2Bbase&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=google%2Bshopping">Le Creuset roasters</a>..I just got my hands on one and am finding every reason on earth to roast stuff!)

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/inoven.jpg" alt="in the oven" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Place the tightly foil wrapped roaster in the oven and bake for an hour at 200 degrees.

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/cookedbeets.JPG" alt="Cooked golden beets" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Mmm look at these cooked beets! They smell heavenly and are soft all the way through the middle..look at how wonderfully golden they are, with amazing detailed lines. Peel the skin off the beets - it's very easy at this stage. Then dice them...

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/beetsngarlicblend.JPG" alt="Blend garlic thyme beets" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Put the chopped beets into a blender (at this point you squeeze the garlic out of their skins and put in the blender), or if like me you overcooked the garlic (eeks), add a dollop of crushed garlic! Add the leaves of the 4 sprigs of thyme.

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/blendsmooth.JPG" alt="blend til smooth" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Blend the mix until smooth. It will be a little rough looking but don't worry...

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/goatcheese.JPG" alt="goat cheese" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Get your goat cheese..mmmmm.

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/addgoatcheesetomix.JPG" alt="add goat cheese to mix" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Chop up the goat cheese and add it to the creamy beet and garlic mix. Sprinkle on some coarse salt and pepper - I prefer Australian pink salt...

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/blendedmix.JPG" alt="blend smooth" width="400" height="391" /></p>
Whizz Whizz Whizz in the blender until super smooth and creamy..

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/finisheddip.JPG" alt="et voila" width="400" height="391" /></p>

Pour into your favourite bowl and sprinkle on a few of the thyme leaves and you are done!

<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/myplate/beetgoatthymedip/yummyontoast.JPG" alt="yummy on toast" width="400" height="391" /></p>
I know it's dip, but I couldn't help but spread it on some fresh whole grain bread I recently picked up from the farmers market!! Give it a try this weekend and let me know how you like it!

<i>all images using <a href="http://shakeitphoto.com/">shakeitphoto</a> for iphone</i>