Our landlord Bob dropped off a grocery sack full of beets the other day, as well as a sack of dirt-covered onions and a large Folger’s can of green beans. These are the kinds of surprises I like to find on my back steps, but ones that unfortunately will only last through the next month or so.I’m a huge fan of beets. In some warmer parts of the country they are considered a winter vegetable, but here on the frigid prairie, there is really only one growing season and that is right now.
Staring at the gigantic pile of beets I started considering whether you can freeze beets, because I wouldn’t mind saving a few of them for mid-winter salads or side dishes. I am betting we receive another bag-o-beets before the season is through, so I might try freezing those and report back on the success (or failure) of that project.
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For this lot however, I couldn’t resist roasting them up and tossing them in a salad with some baby romaine I had just harvested from the garden. This is an extraordinarily simple salad and one I make almost nightly with whatever I have on hand, feel free to swap vinegars and veggies to suit your tastes.
Prairie Garden Salad
Yield:
4
Ingredients
- 2 large beets, washed and thoroughly dried
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups baby romaine, washed, thoroughly dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 1 tablespoon orange-muscat vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F and place beets in an oven-safe dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil over beets and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat beets in oil. Cover with foil and roast until a sharp knife is easily inserted in the beets, about 45 minutes. Carefully remove foil and let cool. When cool enough to handle peel beets by simply rubbing off the skin with your fingers. Cut off ends, cut into quarters, then slice in 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Place beets, romaine, cucumber, and walnuts in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with vinegar, remaining olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and add more salt or pepper as needed.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
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Perfect. I got some beets and cucumbers getting ready to be harvested in my backyard right now. Kisses to the lil jalapeño.
Hey Jackson,
Great to hear from you! Hope all is well with you and your family! Let me know how the salad turns out!
I have become a beet lover myself and I think right now my favorite, simple preparation is to roast them and then toss with bleu cheese.
Thinking about your abundance of beets, have you ever tried to dehydrate them after roasting? I haven’t, it’s just some (potentially) crazy idea that popped into my head.
Hey Kris,
No, can’t say I’ve ever thought of dehydrating them, but it an interesting idea. Maybe beet chips too!