roasted beet salad

I don't know why I was scared to cook beets. But once I did, I realized how easy they were to make! Cook them a day before serving, let them marinate overnight - and shazam! Flavorful, colorful and oh so simple.

Roasted Beet Salad
Serves 4

1 bunch red beets or mix it up for a more colorful plate (3/4 pound without greens or 1 1/4 pound with)

1/4 cup sliced natural almonds
3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces goat cheese

dill for garnish 

Preheat oven to 425°.

Scrub beets and trim all the greens off. Save greens for another dish - like this one. Put your beets on a piece of aluminum foil and pour one tablespoon olive oil on top. Using your hands, coat each beet with oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper and wrap the beets up. Place in oven and let roast for at least one hour or until tender. If they are large, it'll probably take closer to 1-1/2 hours.

In a small pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté sliced almonds until lightly brown. Remove from heat but keep almonds in pan. Once cool, transfer to a small plate and toss almond slices with a little salt. Don't discard oil.

Transfer oil into a large zipper top bag. Add lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix it up.

Remove pan from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes or cool enough to handle. Put on some rubber gloves and carefully peel the skin off; it should slip right off! Cut large beets into eighths and add to zipper-top bag. If using a variety of colors, only cut those in half (the red beets will dye the others). Let them marinate for at least one hour, preferably overnight. Again, wearing gloves, remove beets from bag, placing the same amount on four separate plates. Cut the halved ones in half (you should see the original color in the center). Place the goat cheese on top, and sprinkle on the toasted almond slices and dill. Enjoy!