Beets! I feel like the majority people are pretty “meh” about beets. Do you think it’s true that people grow beets in gardens because they are so very easy to grow? They fill up the beds with pretty greens in just a couple of weeks, but not many people really have many options for cooking them. What a shame! Beets, plain and earthy though they be, can really be a hearty, grounding culinary experience! (Printable Recipe at the bottom)
This year were growing just basic varieties of beets in pink and golden. The colors are really and truly remarkable, and make just about the prettiest salad you could ever hope for!
I brush the beet in olive oil before wrapping up in tin foil. I think it helps them cook and peel better, but it isn’t strictly. But a good long roast in the oven is important, so that the beet are soft.
The good news is, they can be roasted ahead of time and stored in the fridge right in their foil wrappers, and served very cold. I served mine warm, because I just didn’t have the patience to wait that long! Either way is good!
You really could chop up the beets into whatever shape pleases you, but I think the wedges are so elegant! I do think that my kids would have appreciated smaller cubes, though.
You may want to serve the salad with a knife if you have really large wedges, so that the can be cut up into smaller bites.
Now the magic happens. You’ll need a batch of my Balsamic Maple Glaze, which is super-duper easy to make. My recipe makes plenty for this salad, plus more for later. IT IS AMAZING.
Ok, I get that I’m not the first person in the world to make a balsamic maple glaze, but I do feel like that if I can do my small part to spread this goodness further around the world, that would be a good thing! Yes, it’s that good.
I also cover the beets in a good amount of olive oil and salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and tested to make sure the seasoning was just right.
Toasted pecans, chevre goat cheese, and fresh tarragon are what I chose to make this salad complete, with some leaf lettuce freshly picked from the garden. I found the fragrant quality of the tarragon went so well with the earthiness of the beets. One of my favorite combos this year!
I think nearly any nut except peanut would be a good compliment. OOOOOOOoooooo, how about peppery cashews? Bleu cheese? Yum!
Of course, a generous drizzle of that wonderful Balsamic Maple Glaze went over everything, and it’s just so dramatically dark and beautiful, don’t you think?
Below you see the boy, perhaps not as eager as his mother to experience the earthiness of this salad. The second photo is after he discovered that it could turn his pee pink. Winning!
Subjected to a plate of root vegetables… 
Possibility of pink pee!
Please let me know how you like these, or your other favorite ways to enjoy beets. They are far under appreciated in my opinion, let’s raise them up where they belong. Share you favorite way to serve fresh beets in the comments!
Save this for later on Pinterest!
