Roasted Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Shared with me by: Cheryl W (friend & neighbor)
Pretty Presentation, along with being so very good.
Ingredients
- 4 medium size beets, tops removed and scrubbed (see note below)
- mixed greens (for 6 individual salads)
- ½ c. roasted almonds, toasted and salted (instructions below)
- 2 oz. crumbled gorgonzola or goat cheese
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c. good olive oil
- 1 t. Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
- 3/4 t. kosher salt
- 1 t. ground black pepper (on top)
Instructions
To Roast Beets: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size, until a small sharp knife inserted in the middle indicates that they are tender. Unwrap each beet and set aside for 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Wearing clear plastic throw-away gloves, peel the beets with a small, sharp knife over a piece of parchment paper to prevent staining your cutting board.
While the beets are still warm, cut each one in half, then slice to dice into small pieces; place them in a large mixing bowl. As you’re cutting the beets, toss them with half of the vinaigrette (warm beets absorb more vinaigrette), 1/2 t. salt and ¼ t. pepper. Taste for seasonings.
Dressing: Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and kosher salt; set aside.
To Roast Almonds: Place them on a baking pan and roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, turning once until they are lightly browned. Sprinkle with salt (optional) and set aside.
To Assemble: Place mixed greens in a separate bowl and toss them with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Place greens on a large serving platter and arrange the beets, almonds and cheese on top. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette, if desired. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE: You can use a combination or red and gold beets if you prefer.
If you want to make for 2-4 salads, just cut back on ingredients when assembling and refrigerate extras to make another small salad later.
You can cut the recipe in half and only roast 4 beets to serve less people.
Serves 6-8