Monday, July 18, 2011

Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad

I love beets!  I got the original recipe through my mom from Marilynn Clark in Florida.  This is a great autumn salad, and I love dishes you can mostly prepare long before guests arrive or just keep in the fridge until you get hungry.

8 to 10 med beets (2 lbs) rinsed, trim stem ends to 1”
2 Tbls. Cider vinegar
1-½ teasp Dijon mustard
½ teasp sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
(optional) 4 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled
(optional) Mixed baby greans, Belgian endive, or greens of your choice

Preheat oven 350.  Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil.  Place on baking sheet and roast until tender, about one hour.  Wearing rubber gloves, unwrap beets and slip off skin.

To prepare dressing:  whisk together vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and continue whisking until thickened.  Set aside.

Cut beets into ½” pieces and place them in bowl.  Add dressing and toss well.  Just before serving, toss beets and walnuts and transfer to a shallow dish.  Sprinkle with blue cheese or a topping of your choice (fresh parsley, more walnuts, candied pecans, olives, etc.)

When my mom made this last Thanksgiving she plated the beets on top of a single leaf of romaine.  It was a nice idea, but I don't think the guests quite knew what to do.  I'm thinking you could serve it as a finger food on Belgian endive or plated individually on spinach or mixed greens.

Serves 8

2 comments:

  1. Ever since I tried beet salad for the first time at a little sandwich shop, I've been hooked. I'm always looking for a good recipe. Bookmarking this now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love beets too and am always looking for new ways to prepare them. Roasting is a great technique. I'm somewhat afraid of blue cheese, but maybe I will overcome that fear and try some with beets.

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