DRESSING
1 tablespoon apple juice or filtered cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Mix ingredients for dressing with whisk or in a food-processor (it’s best to do this right before plating your salad)
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
Six med-large beets
(try to use two colors such as gold and red)
6oz Goat Cheese
1 package washed Arugula or Mache
1/2 cup Crushed Pistachios
Whole Pistachios for garnish
ROASTED BEETS
Pre-heat oven to 425 Degrees.
After washing and drying, cut tops of beets off (reserve tops for another use).
Coat beets in olive oil, and generously salt & pepper. Wrap beets in foil – you can probably make two packets with 3 beets each.
Roast in oven 1-2 hours (test for tenderness periodically).
Let beets cool & unwrap, (wear gloves, it gets messy) take a damp paper towel and rub skins off.
Chop beets into rough 1/4 inch chunks.
Toss six small handfuls of arugula or mache in dressing.
Using a ring-mold (available at baking stores) or a 3″ high piece of clean pvc pipe (available at hardware stores) place a handful of arugula or mache on each plate, do not remove ring-mold until ready to serve!
In a mixing bowl toss red chopped beets and a handful of coarsely crushed pistachios in dressing- place even amounts in each ring-mold.
In a separate mixing bowl to preserve color, toss chopped gold beets in dressing. Place even amounts in each ring-mold, creating layers as you go.
Take a few crumbles of goat cheese and place atop your beets.
Top each of your stacks with about five to eight whole pistachios (shelled of course), and a bit of greenery (arugula or mache leafs)
CAREFULLY remove ring-molds: Press down (wear gloves or your hands could turn pink) on salad, while sliding mold about halfway up, stop pressing and gently cup salad with hand so as to prevent falling. If one does fall, consider gently tipping all of your salads, that way it will look intentional!
Artfully garnish your plates with pistachios & perhaps a drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil.