Clean beets of any dirt and loose roots by rubbing the raw beets with your fingers under cool tap water. (You may get some red stains on your hands; don’t worry, it’ll wash off.) If your beets are large, or of varying sizes you’ll want to half or quarter them. They should all be about the same size when they go in the oven.
Place cleaned and prepped beets in a roasting pan, baking dish, or in a cast iron skillet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Place the pan in the oven, and roast until the beets are fork tender, about 60 minutes if the beets are small or medium in size. If they’re large, the roasting process may take longer.
Carefully take roasted beets out of the oven, and set aside to cool.