Recipe: Composed Winter Beet and Citrus Salad

Use a few different orange varieties while they’re in season for this stunning salad; the bright citrus contrasts perfectly with earthy beets, which can be cooked days in advance and kept in the fridge until you need them.

Ingredients

• 2 medium beets
• 3 large oranges,  preferably an assortment of varieties
• ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
• ¼ purple onion, thinly sliced or shaved
• ¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts  and/or pumpkin seeds
• Vinaigrette
• ½ cup canola or olive oil
• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely crushed
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp grainy mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Roast your beets by wrapping them in foil and placing directly on the oven rack for about an hour—you can do this while something else bakes—at around 350˚F to 400˚F, or boil them until tender. Set aside to cool, then peel off the skins with your fingers.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, mustard and some salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. When the beets are cool enough to handle, thinly slice them into the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Peel and thinly slice the oranges and arrange them on a platter with the beet slices. Drizzle some of the dressing left in the bowl over the salad (save any extra in a jar in the fridge) and sprinkle with goat cheese, purple onion, walnuts and/or pepitas. Serves 6.

Hot Tip

Prepping ahead? Keep the walnuts and pumpkin seeds separate so they remain crunchy when you serve.