Roasted Beet Salad

Beets.... I have to admit, I am nearly 30 (less than a month away), and just recently tried beets for the first time when my sister-in-law added them to a green salad.  The mixture of all the ingredients was a perfect combination.  Then, as I was parusing the grocery store yesterday, I spotted some gorgeous, organic golden beets and felt truly inspired to try cooking with them myself.

Beets definitely have a very earthy taste.  For me, I think the key to making the flavor of beets sing in in combining them with the right ingredients.

In this salad, the sweetness of pear balances the earthiness of the beets.  While the tangy feta cheese makes each bite pop in your mouth.

Not to mention, this salad is incredibly beautiful and rich in color.  I used golden beets, but you could use the standard red beets, or a combination! 

Roasted Beet Salad:
(adapted from Kelsey Nixon ~ "Kelsey's Essentials"


1 lb. small beets, well scrubbed and trimmed
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
5 oz. baby spinach (1 pkg.) or any other green you like
1 large red pear
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

For the roasted beets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place cleaned beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil in a row, set on a baking sheet.  Place another sheet on top and bring the sides up to form a packet.  Pierce through the foil into each beet to allow steam to escape.  Roast for about 1 hour.  Remove from oven and loosen foil to let beets cool.  After 10 minutes, rub off the skins of the beets with the help of a kitchen towel. (No one wants purple or yellow stained hands!)  Slice the beets into 1/4" thick slices and then each slice in half.  Place in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, place the vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt in a bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking to emulsify the dressing (make it come together).  Place half the dressing on the sliced beets and toss to coat.

Quarter and core the pear, then slice into julienned strips, long and thin.

Add the spinach, almonds, pears and feta cheese to the beets.  Gently toss to combine.  Add more vinaigrette if needed.

Bon Appetit!