The beet is a vegetable that people either love or hate. At our house, we are in the “love” camp. I believe that many people in the “hate” camp have just never tried them or never tried fresh beets. They probably had them canned. Roasted beets are my favorite. They caramelize and taste so sweet.

Sometimes, the beets come with their greens attached. If they look good, don’t throw them out. The greens are like a bonus vegetable. Usually, I put the greens in a big plastic container with a damp paper towel where they will stay fresh for up to a week. I like to chop them coarsely and sauté in olive oil with some garlic. Tasty side dish!

Roasted Beet Salad is a staple in our refrigerator. When I bring home a bunch of beets, the other ingredients are usually on hand. All you need are some kind of onions (scallions are my favorite, red onion are my next favorite), walnuts, and a mustardy vinaigrette. My sister Jennifer doesn’t eat nuts. She makes it without and says it is still good.

You can eat the beet salad as a side dish. It’s also good tossed with some baby salad greens or arugula. The beet salad will coat the greens, so no additional dressing is needed. It works for an emergency lunch along with a bowl of soup.

Our first Shared Harvest CSA share included 2 pounds of lovely beets, so I made a double batch of beet salad. I also used a red onion instead of the usual scallions.

Roasted Beet Salad

• 1 pound beets
• 3-4 scallions, sliced thin OR ½ red onion, diced
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted for 5-10 minutes and coarsely chopped

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp walnut oil or olive oil
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. Scrub the beets well. Place them in a baking dish. Add about ¼ inch of water and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until the beets are tender. Cool the beets until they can be handled. At this point, you can slip the skins off the beets.

Shake the vinaigrette ingredients to combine in a jar.

Dice the beets into ½-inch pieces. Combine the beets with the scallions and walnuts, and toss with the Mustard Vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

(Side Note: In the picture, the bowl next to the beet salad holds roasted red potatoes mixed with the leftover rouille from the Chicken Bouillabaise.  Isn’t the color great?)