Roasted Beet Salad

What you'll need

  • 1 bunch beets (3/4 pound without greens or 1.25 pounds with), trimmed
  • 1/4 cup sliced natural almonds
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 unit large Asian pear
  • 3 cups mâche or baby arugula (3 ounces)

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Wrap beets in foil and roast in middle of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap beets and cool.
  3. While beets are roasting, cook almonds in oili in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden. Cool almonds in oil (nuts will get darker as they cool). Transfer almonds with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and season with salt.
  4. Stir together shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and oil from almonds in a large bowl.
  5. Slip skins from beets and halve large beets. Cut beets into 1/4-inch thick slices and add to dressing, tossing to coat.
  6. Quarter and core pear and cut into julienne strips.
  7. Arrange beets on a platter and drizzle with any dressing remaining in bowl. Top with mâche, then pear. Sprinkle with almonds.

Cook's note: Beets may be roasted and tossed with dressing one day ahead, then chilled and covered. (Keep toasted almonds, covered, at r

Submitted by: Liz

Thanks to: Gourmet