Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Life on the farm truly manifests this time of year as what has been planted starts to erm, bear fruit. Obviously the strawberries did quite well since I’ve baked a lemon strawberry tart, a strawberry rhubarb pie and a strawberry coffee cake. Not to mention the two batches of jam that went on the shelf. Now the beets are in – 75 pounds of them to be exact. Many went into the freezer. Many more went into borscht which I canned and some are in the ‘fridge so the hubby can enjoy them over the next week. Yeah, I’m not a beet eater. The smallest I set aside and made the hubby a roasted beet salad with orange vinaigrette. I used some of the beet greens in the mix with the lettuces. He enjoyed it.

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Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Serves 2

4 cups mixed organic lettuces

1 cup organic beet greens

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10 organic baby beets

1 TBS olive oil

2 oz goat cheese

2 TBS dried cranberries

Candied Walnuts

2 TBS granulated sugar

2 tsp water

1/2 tsp salt

3 TBS walnuts

Orange Vinaigrette

3 TBS fresh orange juice

1 TBS rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 TBS olive oil

Optional – 2 oz leftover meat; beef, duck, venison, etc.

Roast the Beets:

Preheat oven to 350°

Prepare beets; trim greens and root. Clean thoroughly. Dry. If the baby beets are of assorted sizes you will need to stagger the cooking times. If they are all approximately the same size they can all go in at once.

Drizzle the olive oil on the baby beets and make sure they are thoroughly coated. Place the beets in a small baking dish and roast in the oven until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Carefully remove the skin and cut the beets into thick slices.

Make the Candied Walnuts:

While the beets are roasting you can candy the walnuts.

Add the sugar and water to a small saute pan and heat until the sugar starts to melt. Add a pinch of salt. Stir in the walnuts and coat with the sugar mixture and cook until the syrup about dries up and just starts to turn to caramel. Turn the walnuts out onto a silicone mat or cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Set aside to cool.

Add the lettuces and beet greens to a large bowl and mix to combine.

Make the Orange Vinaigrette:

Stir together the fresh orange juice, rice vinegar and salt. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Dress the greens with the vinaigrette using as much as you would like.

Make the Salad:

Divide the greens between two plates.

Top each plate with half of the sliced beets, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, meat if using and goat cheese.

Serve with bread or muffins if desired.

How Was the Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette?

I have no blessed idea. I hate beets.

The hubby said he loved it and ate every last bite on his plate. He might have even licked the plate clean but I will neither confirm nor deny that. I love when I make him meals that he enjoys like that.

I do know that I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the beets. 11 quarts of borscht were canned today and I will make more tomorrow. A chocolate beet cake is also in our future. Everything I have read about this combination tells me it will be an awesome cake. Of course I will post the recipe if when I get the cake baked.

I will admit that I have enjoyed experimenting with the beets this year. Usually I just par-cook them and pop them in the freezer for use all winter long. In past years I made pickled beets for him but he has been having reflux issues so no more pickles for him. The man has my heart so I make things he will enjoy. I do love when the subject of the story helps illustrate it.