Beets are kind of like brussels sprouts. People have very strong feelings about them. Either they love them (like me), or they hate them (my friends Devon and Tonya).
Tonya is in town doing a veterinary rotation for two weeks, so I got to have her over for dinner last week. I wasn’t aware of her beet hatred (she thinks they taste like dirt), but she was a good sport and had some salad anyways. She wasn’t declaring herself a beet convert, but she didn’t hate them either.
The key…you have to roast them! (And toss them in a yummy dressing).
To do this, trim greens from beets (save for another recipe like Sauteed Greens). Scrub beets and place them on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Loosely wrap in foil and roast until easily pierced with a knife, about an hour. Cool in the refrigerator. Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into chunks.
Seed the pomegranate. To do this, massage the pomegranate on a cutting board until soft and you can feel the seeds releasing. Cut in half over your bowl of beets so some of the juice drips over them.
OK…now for the fun part. Place the pomegranates in a large Ziplock bag and firmly “spank” them with a wooden spoon. Add half of the seeds to the bowl, reserve rest for another recipe. (Great on ice cream!)
This was my attempt at an action shot using my new immersion blender….not bad! To make the dressing, add 2 tablespoons vinegar, zest and dry mustard to the reserved orange and tangerine juice. Season with sea salt and pepper. Using a food processor or immersion blender (or whisk if you don’t have either), slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil into the juice mixture until fully emulsified and thickened.
Drizzle half of the dressing over the beets, oranges, and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with zest and refrigerate at least half an hour to allow flavors to mingle.
When ready to serve, toss spinach or arugula with reserved dressing and arrange on plates. Top with beet mixture and sprinkle with toasted nuts and goat cheese.
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- 3-4 beets, stems and greens removed
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large orange
- 2 tangerines
- 1/2 pomegranate (seeds & juice)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch of spinach or arugula, cleaned
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans, walnuts, or pistachios (chopped)
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Trim greens from beets (save for another recipe like Sauteed Greens). Scrub beets and place them on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Loosely wrap in foil and roast until easily pierced with a knife, about an hour. Cool in the refrigerator. Once beets are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into chunks.
- Zest orange until you have about a teaspoon and set aside. Peel and segment orange and tangerines, and squeeze the excess juice into a small bowl or food processor. Cut pomegranate open over the bowl so juices drip into the bowl. Seed the pomegranate and add to bowl along with orange segments.
- To make the dressing, add 2 tablespoons vinegar, zest and dry mustard to the reserved orange and tangerine juice. Season with sea salt and pepper. Using a food processor or immersion blender (or whisk if you don’t have either), slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil into the juice mixture until fully emulsified and thickened. Drizzle half of the dressing over the beets, oranges, and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with zest and refrigerate at least half an hour to allow flavors to mingle.
- When ready to serve, toss spinach or arugula with reserved dressing and arrange on plates. Top with beet mixture and sprinkle with toasted nuts and goat cheese.
Nutrition
Tonya Gossard
January 9, 2012 at 2:38 amI have to say they were the best beets I have ever had:) thanks again for the amazing dinner and fun hike today.
Anonymous
January 9, 2012 at 7:03 pmLOVE beets. Thanks! We roast them with a little olive oil and eat like a baked potato.