#322: Roasted Beet Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Hard Boiled Egg, By: V

Local? Organic? The variety of vegetables that are available to consumers has seriously grown in the past few years.  Now, at your local grocery store there's a whole section dedicated to organic vegetables.  I picked up a bunch of organic beets, with lush green leafy tops and bright purple stems.  When I arrived back at my apartment I washed them down and cut the tops off the bulbous bottoms.  They were sitting on my chopping block and I thought the simplest way to make them, and to be quite honest, the way to cook them that had me most curious about the resulting taste, was to roast them in the oven. 

I pulled out a baking sheet, chopped up the beets and included the green tops and stems as well.  The whole mixture was tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for about 35 minutes.  Delicious!! They came out sweet but with this earthy taste.  I mixed a quick lemon and olive oil vinaigrette and tossed the mixture lightly in the dressing.  I didn't want to wilt down the greens with a heavy dressing, so went lightly at first and added more later...I love citrus.  A hard boiled egg on the side finished the meal off with added protein.  This was a simple and great dinner meal for a weeknight, albeit a weeknight when I was patient enough to wait for 35 minutes while my beets roasted instead of stuffing my face upon entering my apartment with the first dish I pull out of the refrigerator.  Try this recipe with beets, and if beets aren't your thing, try this preparation with any root vegetable and/or greens.  

Roasted Beet Salad with Lemon Vinagrette and Hard Boiled Egg - Serves 4

Ingredients 
8 beets
1 1/2 tbsps olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Lemon Vinaigrette 
2 tbsps lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard
4 tbsps olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  
2. Cut the beet off the stems and greens.  Chop up the tops (greens and stems) and keep them to the side. Peel your beets with a vegetable peeler.  Then cut the beets - size doesn't really matter here, bite sized or larger, your preference!
3. Place the cut beets and tops on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 35 minutes.  Stir halfway through the baking process just to ensure full roasting on all sides.
4. While the beets are cooking prepare the lemon vinaigrette.  I like to use a mason jar to prepare salad dressing.  Add all of the ingredients to a jar (or bowl) and shake up the jar (or whisk/stir the bowl) until the vinaigrette is mixed through.
5. Take the beets and tops out of the oven and place into a bowl.  Add your vinaigrette, just a drizzle at first.  Then you can always add more once the dish is plated, all depending on your taste.
6. Cut and add a hard boiled egg to your salad.  I like the added protein and creaminess of the yolk.