I love this salad – it is easy to make, delicious and beautiful to serve. Note that you have to make the dressing at least one day ahead. You will likely have some dressing left over, which you won’t mind because it is so delicious!

Recipe for Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula Dressing

(Serves 6)

2 cups packed baby arugula
4 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
6 large beets
9 to 10 cups Boston bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
goat cheese crumbles
sliced red onion
toasted nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, etc.)

To make the sauce: place the arugula, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice and tarragon in the bowl of a food processor and blend until well combined.  Place in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash the beets, cut off the ends and wrap 2 beets in a large piece of foil; repeat with remaining beets. Place in oven directly on oven rack and roast for around 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft in the center when poked with a fork. Cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and slice.

Divide lettuce among 6 salad plates.  Arrange sliced beets in a circle on top of lettuce; scatter goat cheese, red onion and nuts over the top. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Make ahead: the dressing can be made and the beets roasted up to 3 days ahead, covered and stored in the refrigerator.

Tags: fast side dishes, lettuce, nuts, roasted beets, Salads, Side Dishes

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.