Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• Fresh beets (preferably two different types — I used golden beets and regular baby beets in these pictures)
• Goat cheese
• Essential vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar with minced shallots marinated into it
• Colorful microgreens

Preheat your oven to 425. Wash the beets and remove the stems and root. Place into a baking dish with a small amount of water. Warning! Beets can stain. Wear gloves or face the consequences. Since the colorful beet juice starts running out immediately, practice segregation and put the different colored beets in different pans.

Cover the pans with foil. Bake for 20 to 40 minutes, depending upon the size of the beets. They’re done when they are fork tender. Rinse under cold water, sloughing off the skin as you rinse.

Decide how you’re going to cut your beets. If they are small, you may quarter them. If they’re large, it may be better to slice them. Having different cuts for the different beets works well, aesthetically.

Cut thin slices of goat cheese. Place them on the plate. Top with beets. Drizzle on the vinaigrette. Add a topping of microgreens. Doesn’t that look special?

I experimented with different placemats and microgreens before deciding I liked the combination in the top photo best.