Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad

I was recently in Trader Joe’s and came across these ready to eat steamed and peeled baby beets. I happen to love that the hard work is already done for me and they come in a nice small package so I don’t end up with a ton of beets. For this salad I cut them up in wedges and warmed them in the microwave before topping our salad with them. Her recipe had a huge type-o and I corrected it so if you print from my page you won’t have the same issue. She had to whisk in 2 tsp of salt and boy was the dressing salty. My gut said it was wrong, but I wanted to follow the directions. I think it was for the 2 tsp of mustard.

Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad

(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

8 medium-size beets, tops removed and scrubbed

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces baby arugula

1/3 cup roasted, salted Marcona almonds, toasted (I used toasted Walnuts)

4 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled (I used blue cheese)

Preheat the 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. Peel the beets with a small, sharp knife over a piece of parchment paper to prevent staining your cutting board.

Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and set aside.

 

 

While the beets are still warm, cut each one in half and then each half into 4 to 6 wedges and 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 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings.

Place the arugula in a separate bowl and toss it with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Put the arugula on a serving platter and then arrange the beets, almonds, and goat cheese on top. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette, if desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm or at room temperature.