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How is this so delicious? Beets me.
I can’t even believe this but I used to hate beets. Ok. Maybe not hate. But I seriously disliked them. What I’ve learned though over the years is that my beef wasn’t with beets. It was with beet preparation!
Turns out I just don’t really like pickled beets or canned beets.
But roasted beets? That’s another story! Roasting them makes them kind of sweet and they have a great texture. This is one of those salads that’s completely simple but will really impress people.
It’s especially impressive if you can do it without staining your hands!
Red and Gold Beet Salad
Serves 4- 3 large red beets
- 3 large golden beets
- 2-3 Cups of arugula
- Goat Cheese
- Olive oil
- Pistachios, optional
- A pinch of salt, flaky sea salt or kosher salt would be best
Roasting the Beets. There really is only one step to this salad which is: Roast the beets. It’s pretty obvious what to do after that.
The thing about beets is that they grow in the ground. That means they are fairly dirty little things when you get them.
Dirty little things.
Even before roasting them, I like to clean them up a bit. I’m not sure it’s completely necessary because you peel them after you roast them anyway, but I cut off the stems and bottom root and give them a quick scrub.
Then just toss them on a baking sheet!
NOTE: Don’t throw away the beet greens! You can cook them just like you would spinach. They are really delicious sauteed with a bit of garlic and olive oil.
Ready to roast!
These will need to roast for about 60 minutes at 400 degrees. Yes. That’s a long time, but these guys are sturdy! The long roasting time really helps concentrate the flavors!
If you’re in a hurry, you can also boil the beets, but I find that they aren’t as flavorful when they’ve been boiled.
You’ll know they are done because you should be able to easily pierce through them with a paring knife. If the beet flesh is hard at all, then roast them for another 15 minutes.
These will be really hot when they come out of the oven so let them cool for a few minutes before trying to peel them.
A knife is the best way here.
Peeling the Beets. When it comes to peeling beets, I prefer a good paring knife over any kind of peeler. Beet skin tends to be kind of thick and it always gets stuck in my peeler. Then I get annoyed and throw my peeler out the window.
So I just use a knife. If you hold the paring knife in between your forefinger and your thumb you can just slide the blade around the beet, easily peeling off the skin.
You’ll be left with little orbs of deliciousness.
Luckily, the golden variety won’t stain your hands, but the red variety most certainly will. So if you’re opposed to having red hands for a day or two, you might want to wear some gloves. Honestly, I’m too lazy for that though. I just wash my hands right away after I peel/slice them and the stain fades pretty quickly.
Wear gloves if you don't want to be caught red-handed.
I like to serve this on a really large platter. Put down a good bed of arugula (you could also use spinach). Then slice your beets and arrange them in some pretty pattern. Remember that if your red beets touch your golden beets, your golden beets will turn red!
Great colors!
To finish off the dish, drizzle on a bit of olive oil, sprinkle it with a pinch of kosher or sea salt, crumble up some goat cheese on top, and if you’re feeling ambitious, toss on some chopped pistachios!
Nothing too complicated.
So obviously the one thing about this salad is that while it’s a really simple salad to make, it does take some time just because the beets need to roast. It’d be perfect for a weekend dinner party though or maybe even for a picnic!
I do believe this salad could turn almost anyone into a beet liker. I won’t be as ambitious to say beet lover. But definitely a beet liker.
Sometimes, a recipe’s success is hinged solely on sourcing your ingredients. The array of colured beets make the dish.
I know that boiled beets will usually just “slip” out of their skins; does this not happen when roasting them, that you have to cut the skins off roasted beets?
Mmm… you definitely need some help peeling them when roasted. They won’t just slip out like that. They aren’t hard to peel though. The skin is just kind of thick so I prefer a knife over a peeler.
I love all of these ingredients, s0 this looks awesome.
When I roast beets I just rub the peel off with a paper towel. I do roast them covered with foil or in a foil packet (Martha Stewart-style), so maybe the steam is what makes the skins come off so easily.
Huh! Interesting method. I’ll definitely have to try it. Makes sense that the steam would make it easier to peel!
Were we separated at birth, Nick? Your feta experience was similar to mine as you commented today. My beets experience matches yours! And I got around my dislike for them when Marion roasted some beets and made a salad not unlike this one, complete with golden beets. Beautiful pictures!
I grew up eating those slimy canned beets – blecch. But since discovering fresh beets I’ve learned to love them. Roasted are the best. Great post, delicious looking salad.
Beautiful photos. Wish we got golden beets but will have to make do with red. I make a similar salad and it’s one of my husband’s favorites. Like the use of pistachios, another favorite.
This makes me wish that beet season would get here sooner! Not quite time to find beets at the farm stands, but soon….
Beautiful photos! I make a similar salad, but add golden raisins and champagne vinaigrette!
This looks REALLY yummy!
I’m still kind of up in the air over roasted beets. I found an article online that suggested slicing/cubing/whatevering them BEFORE you roast them so that they get all nice and caramelized. Once I tried them that way I was at least willing to keep trying them that way! I wonder if it would still look as pretty though?!?
Also, I got on to beets because of a Martha Stewart recipe for pickled raw beets. The thought of boiling beets conjures up that horrid smell and squishy slimy beet mush and reminds me of my gramma in a bad way. But with the raw pickles they’re crisp and delicious! If you haven’t tried pickled raw beets you might want to! My 5yo requested them as a dish for his birthday party and will ask for them as “dessert”!!!
Made this tonight. The combination of beets & goat cheese is to die for (especially when you have access to local goat cheese like I do!). I’m not sold on arugula, tho… I think it dominates the flavor a bit too much. Next time, I think I’ll use spinach instead and let the flavor of the beets shine a bit more. :) Great recipe, thanks!