Ya, I know. It's another roasted beet salad. Been there, done that since 2001, a beet odyssey.
BUT...
this particular blend of ingredients and dressing hits the mark and I've had it FOUR times. Okay, mostly not to waste ingredients, but it's so tasty that it hasn't gotten boring yet. That's me, eating the same salad four times in 7 days. Me, who gets bored with something before I'm even done cooking/baking it.
And, please, please, I'm on my scabby knees here (after falling on ice) begging you to make the candied oranges. They hit just the right spot in the MMA battlefield of taste buds that is your tongue.
Salad makes 8 small plate servings (or 4 Marilyn size servings)
3 medium beets (1 pound), preferably 1 each red, gold, Chioggia
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, separated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, peel and pith removed, segments cut out
2 ounces aged Manchego cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 segments Candied Oranges, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted and salted Marcona almonds
1 (5-ounce) package mixed greens
For the Orange Vinaigrette
1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
To make the salad, preheat the oven to 400 F.
Peel and cut the beets into 1-inch chunks, keeping the colors separate on different large sheets of foil. Toss each pile of beets with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Wrap each mound of beets in the foil to create packets. Place the packets on a half-sheet pan and roast until the beets are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Unwrap and cool to room temperature.
While the beets roast, make the vinaigrette: Zest one-quarter of the orange into a large bowl, then squeeze in 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice. Whisk in the lemon juice, shallot, honey, and salt. Slowly pour in the oil in a steady stream while whisking vigorously.
Add the cooled beets, orange segments, candied orange, cheese, almonds, and greens to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Gently toss with your hands until well-mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Marilyn's Notes: I adjusted the dressing to my own taste. Made it as directed, but it wasn't citrus-y enough for me (or conversely, too oily tasting). So I added the juice of another orange, a bit more citrus-flavored honey (from FL) and then added a heaping teaspoon of the thick syrup from the candied oranges. Then I was happy.
Also, I started cutting the roasted beets into smaller sizes. 1" cubes are good for roasting, but too big for eating without a knife.
Presentation: Katie's final instructions are to toss everything. I thought this muddied the appearance because the red beets ending up leaving a red stain on the orange and yellow beets, on the almonds and especially the pure white Manchego cheese. I started tossing just the greens and red beets together, added some dressing to the yellow/orange beets and tossed, then just added the rest of the ingredients on top. It looked so much prettier.
And the beauty of this is that it can ALL be done ahead of time. Actually, you NEED to make the candied oranges ahead of time.
I found the Marcona almonds (bought the lemon/pepper ones) at Whole Foods, but found everything else at my local grocers.
BUT...
this particular blend of ingredients and dressing hits the mark and I've had it FOUR times. Okay, mostly not to waste ingredients, but it's so tasty that it hasn't gotten boring yet. That's me, eating the same salad four times in 7 days. Me, who gets bored with something before I'm even done cooking/baking it.
And, please, please, I'm on my scabby knees here (after falling on ice) begging you to make the candied oranges. They hit just the right spot in the MMA battlefield of taste buds that is your tongue.
Salad makes 8 small plate servings (or 4 Marilyn size servings)
3 medium beets (1 pound), preferably 1 each red, gold, Chioggia
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, separated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, peel and pith removed, segments cut out
2 ounces aged Manchego cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 segments Candied Oranges, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted and salted Marcona almonds
1 (5-ounce) package mixed greens
For the Orange Vinaigrette
1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
To make the salad, preheat the oven to 400 F.
Peel and cut the beets into 1-inch chunks, keeping the colors separate on different large sheets of foil. Toss each pile of beets with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Wrap each mound of beets in the foil to create packets. Place the packets on a half-sheet pan and roast until the beets are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Unwrap and cool to room temperature.
While the beets roast, make the vinaigrette: Zest one-quarter of the orange into a large bowl, then squeeze in 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice. Whisk in the lemon juice, shallot, honey, and salt. Slowly pour in the oil in a steady stream while whisking vigorously.
Add the cooled beets, orange segments, candied orange, cheese, almonds, and greens to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Gently toss with your hands until well-mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Marilyn's Notes: I adjusted the dressing to my own taste. Made it as directed, but it wasn't citrus-y enough for me (or conversely, too oily tasting). So I added the juice of another orange, a bit more citrus-flavored honey (from FL) and then added a heaping teaspoon of the thick syrup from the candied oranges. Then I was happy.
Also, I started cutting the roasted beets into smaller sizes. 1" cubes are good for roasting, but too big for eating without a knife.
Presentation: Katie's final instructions are to toss everything. I thought this muddied the appearance because the red beets ending up leaving a red stain on the orange and yellow beets, on the almonds and especially the pure white Manchego cheese. I started tossing just the greens and red beets together, added some dressing to the yellow/orange beets and tossed, then just added the rest of the ingredients on top. It looked so much prettier.
And the beauty of this is that it can ALL be done ahead of time. Actually, you NEED to make the candied oranges ahead of time.
I found the Marcona almonds (bought the lemon/pepper ones) at Whole Foods, but found everything else at my local grocers.