roasted beet salad with almond shallot vinaigrette

Beets.

OMG Beets.

Go ahead. It's ok. You can say it. You can even venture to eat them.

I think the word alone scares a great deal of people away from this red root. The name for the unfmailiar many conjures up images of pickled red discs floating in dark red liquid. I can still remember my college roommate's love for beets and how I would almost cringe every time she ate them. My nose just wrinkled at the memory. I promise though that if you give beets a try (again), it will be worth it!  I myself have been eating a lot of beets lately. I didn't discover them again on my own. Turns out it's winter and they keep showing up in my CSA box. I've tried my hand at beet chips but was looking for a more substantial dish. With a dinner party approaching and both red and gold beets in my fridge, I decided to give the following recipe a go. It was a hit!

I've made this salad again since and substituted hazelnuts for the almonds. Also, mache (aka lamb's lettuce) is a must! Enjoy!

roasted beet salad with almond shallot vinaigrette
yields 4 servings
2 large beets, peeled and cleaned (one red, one gold)
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 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large Asian pear
3 cups mache or baby arugula
gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast in the oven until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap beets and allow to cool.

While beets are roasting, cook almonds in oil in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are a pale golden brown. Allow almonds to cool in oil (they will get darker as they cool). Transfer almonds with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and season with salt.

Stir together shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and oil from almonds in a large bowl.

Halve the beets then cut them into 1/4 inch thick slices and add to dressing, tossing to coat.

Quarter and core pear; cut into julienne strips.

Arrange beets on a platter and drizzle with any dressing remaining in bowl. Top with mache and pear strips. Sprinkle with almonds and gorgonzola.

veggie burgers & beet chips

Between weddings, birthday extravaganzas, and just general fun I have been enjoying quite a few three day weekends this summer. This past weekend was no exception. Only this time I actually got to stay home and enjoy Seattle in its beautiful fall glory. Friday was spent reconnecting with some of my favorite people and Saturday wound down with some quality house sitting which included truffle popcorn (something for a later post maybe?) and movies on a GIANT boy TV.

By the time Sunday rolled around I was ready to get into the kitchen and a had a fridge full of veggies just waiting there for me. I also had a recipe for veggie burgers that had been calling my name. I decided it was finally the day. Especially since I could try my hand at beet chips again for a side (I totally burnt my first batch).  Here's a peek at what went down if you want to give it a try! Enjoy!

veggie burgers

While shredding veggies via an old fashioned grater is no fun, it is worth it.

4 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 small summer squash, shredded
1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
1 tbl soy sauce
1/3 c plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
1 1/2 c all purpose flour

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the carrots, zucchini and squash and continue to cook and stir for another 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Mix in cheese, oats and egg. Stir in soy sauce. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

1 hour later...

Place flour on a large plate. Add breadcrumbs to cooled mixture and mix with hands. Form the veggie mixture into 3" to 4" patties. Drop each patty into the flour lightly coating both sides. Cook patties in remaining 2 tsp of olive oil over med high heat about 5 minutes in each side, until heated through and nicely browned. Serve immediately.

beet chips

Now, the first time I tried to make these, I fried them...to a crisp and not in a good way. Slice the beets as thinly as possible to ensure they crisp and check them frequently as they bake.

2 medium to large red beets
2 to 3 tbl olive oil
sea salt
pepper
herbs de provence (or dried rosemary)

Preheat oven to 250. Peel beets with a vegetable peeler leaving stems on and thinly slice beets with a mandolin food slicer. Toss beet slices in a bowl with olive oil salt and pepper. Arrange beets in a single layer in a shallow glass baking dish. They can touch just don't overlap them too much. Sprinkle with herbs de provence (or rosemary). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the chips have started to curl and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately.