Roasted Beet Salad with Pistachios & Goat Cheese
When I was a kid, I had such a thing for pickled beets. Sweet. Sour. Totally my jam. I still love some pickled beets, but I also really, really love roasted beets! They’re so good – a little meaty, a little earthy, just a hint of sweet and 100% satisfying.
As the weather has started to break, I’ve been very into salads. This one is just so simple, and you can roast beets to enjoy for the whole week. AND it’s elegant enough for entertaining – win win in my book.
I also think it’s very possible that I love beets because they make such a wonderful vehicle for salt. And y’all should know how much I love salt by now – I mean, I bring it back from every vacation we take! I love beets with a sel gris. It gives a little extra briney flavor that I just can’t get enough of. Plus, like the pistachios, it gives you a crunch to the buttery soft beets.
Now, beets are very easy to roast. You will, though, look like you murdered someone when you’ve peeled them. Don’t worry though, it comes right off your hands with soap. Or you can wear gloves. But definitely wear an apron. Or a black shirt.
You’ll scrub the little suckers and remove most of the stems, leaving just enough for you to hold while peeling after they’ve roasted. Then, you wrap them up in foil and bake them for a solid hour at 400.
To serve, I used Trader Joe’s rose vinaigrette. I know I’m being super basic by buying something rose flavored, however, gotta tell ya – this stuff is great. It’s so light and mild flavored and really brought some tang to this dish. Just know, it’s a little bit oily, as you can see!
You can make this with all red beets or throw in some orange – just don’t mix them up if you don’t want the orange beets to get spotted with the red. Then, sprinkle on some raw pistachios and goat cheese (I used Trader Joe’s honey goat cheese and it was AMAZING with this salad!). And then enjoy – and enjoy night after night because beets are an A+!
