This recipe is neither short nor simple nor cheap, but it is thrifty. It uses all parts of the beet, including the stems and leaves.
The beets themselves are sweet, but the leaves and stems add a tannic, bitter note that rounds out the salad. This is the beginning of beet season at the farmers market and this salad is best made with a colorful mixture of baby red, yellow and candy-striped beets.
The dressing is finished with a sage-infused oil, which is made by slowly simmering sage leaves, garlic cloves and salt in olive oil (I strongly urge you to eat the softened garlic cloves on a piece of toast after you strain the oil). You’ll have excess from the the sage oil, the dressing and the spiced almonds recipes, which is not a bad thing. They are delicious staples to have in your pantry: the sage oil to drizzle on pizza or to finish a mayonnaise; the dressing on tomatoes, and the spiced almonds, well, just to munch along with a beer or cocktail.
Roasted Baby Beet Salad With Sage Vinaigrette, Spiced Almonds and Blue Cheese
Serves 6.
Ingredients
2 pounds baby beets, with leaves attached
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound arugula
1/4 pound good-quality blue cheese, crumbled, at room temperature
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup Spiced Almonds (recipe follows)
1/4 cup Sage Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Directions
To prepare the beets, remove the leaves from the beets and wash in several changes of waters. Leave about 2 inches of stem on each beet and scrub thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the beets in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper and 1 cup of water. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. When the beets have cooled slightly but are still warm, rub off the skins with a towel, leaving the stems still attached. Set aside.
To prepare the beet greens, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the greens and simmer just until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes depending upon the size and thickness of the greens. Shock in a bowl of ice water and drain.
To prepare the salad, Place the beets, beet greens, arugula, red onion, spiced almonds and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and salt and pepper and mix well. Serve immediately.
SAGE VINAIGRETTE
Whisk together 1/4cup champagne vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup canola oil and 6 tablespoons Sage Oil (recipe follows) and whisk to emulsify.
SAGE OIL
Place 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4cup sage leaves, 6 cloves garlic and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cool completely and strain. You will have about 1 cup.
SPICED ALMONDS
Mix together 1 quart sliced almonds, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
