Roasted Beet Salad

My favorite corner market is starting to change out their regular items - the fresh berries and tender greens are gone, and the hearty gourds, the apples/pears/figs, and the root veggies are coming out full force.

Now: beets are something they have year-round, but my last trip they happened to have yellow, gold, and regular (red) beets. All I could think about was what a beautiful salad these beets could make, so I filled up my basket with a few pounds of them.

This beet salad comes from Serious Eats. It is perhaps more of a summer recipe, but it was good with the sandwiches that we've been having for dinner most of this (very busy) week. Sweet beets, raw spicy onion, and the tart vinaigrette all give it such great flavor, as well as my absolute favorite (cilantro). Yum! Give it a shot next time you need an easy (and tasty) side dish.

Roasted Beet Salad

(from Serious Eats)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. beets, stems removed and washed

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 Serrano chile, seed and thinly chopped

1 tsp. minced ginger

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Pinch of sugar

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Sprinkle the beets with salt and a tablespoon of the olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil, leaving a little hole in the top facing up, and set in a roasting pan. Cook until easily pierced with a knife, 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the rest of the olive oil, red onion, Serrano, ginger, cilantro, sugar, and red wine vinegar.

When beets are done and cool enough to handle, peel and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

Mix with the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.