Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

It's a good thing that I discovered I liked beets, otherwise this salad and I would have to make like a Journey song and go our separate ways.

But I like beets, so it's all good.

This recipe is featured online here on Epicurean, so I feel it's all right for me to post it here.

The recipe says it feeds four, but it fed six of us with leftovers.

Ingredients:

6 beets (3 red, 3 golden), tops removed

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Salt

l/3 cup pecans

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 Kirby cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 bunch arugula

4 to 6 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Roasting the beets intensifies their sweet flavor, and though the cooking may take a long time, it's definitely worth the wait. Caramelizing the pecans is really quite easy, so while you're at it, make a big batch of these nuts and keep them on hand for adding to other dishes - they'll keep about a week at room temperature, packed in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Rinse the beets and wrap in foil (if they are of a similar size, you can wrap several together). Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the beets yield to gentle pressure. When cool enough to handle, unwrap and slip the skins off (use a paper towel or kitchen gloves so you don't stain your hands). Cut the beets in half and thinly slice.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine the sugar, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the pecans and cook over low heat, tossing occasionally, until the sugar has melted and is lightly caramelized (the color of a brown paper bag), about 5 minutes. Immediately transfer the nuts to a plate to stop further cooking and darkening of the sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, and mustard. Season with salt to taste. Add the beets, cucumbers, fennel, arugula, and pecans and toss to combine. Serve with the goat cheese scattered over the top.

The only tricky part with this recipe would be the nuts. You have to move them around constantly so that they don't burn, and once the sugar melts on them just right you have to remove them from the heat. Fortunately, I go to the gym just for this reason. I do push-ups so that I am the fastest stirrer in my home. 

Rachel made sure she made this look perfect for the photo. I think she might have a future career at Panera, making the perfect salad for the picture. Or she can stick with her current job. Whatever. The economy is rough. We can't all fulfill our true calling.

The salad itself has a really good flavor. My favorite part was the goat cheese and nut combination, and the fennel was a nice touch too. All of the flavors worked together well, since some are really strong, and some are more mild. The nuts balanced out the bitter-edge of the arugula. I'd eat it again. Which is good, since I have plenty of leftovers.