Roasted Beet Salad with Blue Cheese

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Roasted Beet Salad with Blue Cheese

Yield: 4 servings

 

For the salad:

3 medium yellow beets (about 1 pound), stems trimmed off

3 medium red beets (about 1 pound), stems trimmed off

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups baby leaf spinach

1/4 pound whole piece blue cheese (frozen)

Toasted almonds

 

For the dressing:

3 cups tangerine juice, or orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch salt and pepper

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the beets in a baking pan, drizzle with the oil, and season with

salt. Cover with foil. Bake for about 1 hour, or until tender when

pierced with a knife.

 

While the beets are roasting, make the dressing:

In a 1-quart non-reactive saucepan, over medium-high heat, reduce the

tangerine juice to about 3/4 cup. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the

heat and strain with a fine sieve.

Return to the saucepan; add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Over medium

heat, reduce until the mixture bubbles and has a syrup-like consistency.

You should have about 1/4 cup. Remove from the heat and strain again.

Let cool to room temperature. Add the olive oil. Set aside. (Can be

stored in refrigerator for up to 1 1/2 weeks.)

 

When cool enough to handle, peel the beets, and thinly slice them into

rounds. Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. In a

large bowl, toss the spinach with the remaining dressing and place

spinach on top of beets in the center of the platter.

 

Remove the wedge of blue cheese from the freezer. Using a microplane

grater, grate the desired amount over the salad. Garnish with toasted

almonds.