Blooming Lovely: Roasted Beet Salad

Cherry blossom tree on the University of Washington Quad, Seattle.  Photo: Kneale Culbreath

Last week, I wrote about my ridiculous love for waxed paper bags.  Either I need to get a life or I get joy from the littlest thing. I like to think it is the latter rather than the former.

I am ready for spring and want to be done with eating stews, roasts, and other cold weather foods. I saw the cherry blossom beginning to bloom on the University of Washington campus and there were cheery yellow daffodils and purple and pink narcissus, full petaled and reminding me of Easter.  But it is still early March and Seattle is a tricky city that throws a cold weather curve ball; last week I was wearing my wool coat one day, carrying my umbrella the next, then watching bare-armed colleagues walk into the office the following morning, looking totally comfortable.  I am busily applying self-tanner nightly, wondering if my feet are ready for sandals and coral pedicures.

One way I like to bring spring in early is to cook things that remind me that warm weather is coming soon.  Usually in winter the thought of a salad leaves me cold- it is just too chilly to get excited over chilled lettuces and icy dressings. Root vegetables are a great compromise between winter and spring.  These vegetables remind us of what is available in the cooler months and this salad gives us a hint of flavors to come in the spring.  One of my favorite winter vegetables to cook are beets. I love their earthy and honeyed flavor.  Beets are easygoing and can be delicious served with just salt and pepper but I think they welcome a good punch of sharp vinegar or lemon and lots of fresh herbs- beets are so candy-sweet, they can take it.  Years ago, a friend served me the best beet salad I have ever had: it was full summer and Tanya had roasted young asparagus with beets and then topped them with toasted walnuts and a balsamic vinaigrette. This is an end of winter tribute to her salad.


Note: this recipe is a rough one, meaning if you are a stickler for measuring, please refer to your favorite vinaigrette recipe. I roasted some beets in olive oil and then dressed them in a mustard vinaigrette while still warm.  This salad can be eaten warm or cold. 

Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Feta and Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette (serves 2-4)

4 medium-sized beets, washed and scrubbed
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
Balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, or lemon juice, your preference
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 c of feta cheese, cut into small cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make a foil packet for the beets: place a large square of foil on a cookie sheet and place the beets on top.  Dress the beets with a good drizzle of olive oil, enough to coat them.  Wrap the beets up in the foil (not too tightly, you want them to have room in the foil to sweat) and roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until you can pierce the skin of the beet easily.  Make room for the walnuts on the same cookie sheet as the beets: you can toast them on the same cookie sheet with the beets- just take them out after toasting in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

The beets should feel slightly soft but not mushy. This may take longer than 45 minutes, depending on the size of your beets.  Leave the beets to cool in the foil until you can handle them.  While the beets are cooling, you can toast the walnuts in a cast iron pan on the stove over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the walnuts smell fragrant.  Do not let them burn.  

I usually put on a pair of kitchen gloves reserved for jobs like this to avoid having beet-soaked fingers: using  a paring knife, pare away the beet skin, taking off the knobby beet ends and tops, too.  Chop the beets up into small cubes- not fine dice but you want the pieces to be small.  Place the beets in a medium bowl and set aside.

To make a vinaigrette, I usually do a ratio of 3:1 oil to acid.  In a glass jar or measuring cup, place 3 generous heaping tablespoons of Dijon mustard.  Add 2 tablespoons of your favorite acid- I used white balsamic vinegar.  Slowly stir in the olive oil, a little at a time, until the sauce is emulsified and everything is nicely blended.  Season with  a pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Pour over the beets. Add the chopped parsley, feta, and scatter the walnuts over the top. Stir gently. If you do refrigerate the salad to eat later, bring it out of the fridge 15 minutes or so before serving to take the chill off. You could also pile it on a baguette with tuna for a great sandwich or serve alongside roast chicken. This is a salad to mark the end of winter,  or think of it as a hint of spring and the bounty to come.

Variation:  If you prefer a creamier cheese, use goat cheese instead.  The goat cheese will make for a gentler-tasting salad.



Here's Nirvana's "In Bloom." I love that the band shows their sense of humor and can mock both themselves and early 60's variety shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbgKEjNBHqM