Roasted Beet Salad

I LOVE beets. I don’t know why, but I do. I only recently discovered how easy it is to make them yourself. Yes, they actually sell bunches of beets in the grocery store. They look like something out of Farmer McGreggor’s garden but they are delicious!

I adapted the following recipe from Giada De Laurentiis’ Family Dinners cookbook:

Ingredients

1 bunch (4-6) beets (peeled and each cut into 6 wedges)

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 large shallot (chopped)

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. In a medium bowl whisk together the vinegar, shallots and honey. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss beets in enough dressing to coat. Place beets in center of foil on baking sheet. Top with another piece of foil and crimp edges of foil to seal tightly. Roast beets until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Uncover beets and continue roasting until slightly caramelized, about 25 minutes longer. Set aside and cool.

Toss together lettuce, walnuts, cranberries or whatever other topping of your choice. Arrange beets around salad and top off with remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top and serve! Or chicken!