beets (we call them just beets here in the u.s.) have a great earthy sweet flavor. i'm a big fan of them. great color too.
i used to do this great salad with roasted beets cut into julienne, crumbled goat cheese, hazelnuts, mixed greens, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette. i love these flavors together...they all compliment each other really well.
another great thing to do with beets is to juice them (if you have a juicer) and then reduce the juice slowly until it starts to thicken. put into a blender and emulsify with a neutral oil and season to make a really vivid red beet emulsification.
have you ever gotten those beautiful little baby beets that seem to be everywhere lately? they are wonderful. here in the u.s., they're pretty easily found and you can get regular, golden, or chiogga (candystripe) baby beets. very striking and pretty.
i read somewhere that 90% of granulated sugar on the market today comes from beets. did you know that? wild, huh?