Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

We get the most wonderful beets from Hope's Edge Farm, a CSA in Hope, Maine and from my own garden.  Obviously the fresher the beets, the better the salad.  I adapt this recipe to what’s available; it’s really flexible.  I replace the roasted beets with roasted onions, roasted squash or steamed beans.  The pecans become pine nuts or walnuts.  The goat cheese becomes a feta or a bleu cheese; sometimes I add lemon juice to the dressing. 

Warm crusty bread and you've got yourself a meal!

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

1 cup whole pecans 
2 pounds fresh beets, stemmed and scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, in bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.  Place the pecans in a pie pan and toast in the oven for 7 minutes.Cut the beets in quarters or eighths, depending on how big they are.  Toss the beets with the oil, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan.  Roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes to an hour.  Set the beets aside to cool slightly, and be sure to reserve any excess liquid in the roasting pan.  Toss half of the pecans and half of the goat cheese with the lettuce, beets, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the reserved beet liquid on top of the salad with the rest of the pecans and goat cheese and serve.

Serves 8

Chef Annie
My belly is getting happy at just the thought of this salad

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