Fancy Leaves

Making creative salads is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen.  The combinations are endless, and I typically feel really good about my decision to make and/or eat a salad.  That said, making salads can be one of the most time consuming dishes to make in the kitchen.  Each element of the salad usually requires some sort of preparation, whether it's roasting, chopping, mixing, seasoning, etc.  But the pay off sure is worth it.  One of my new favorite salad ingredients is roasted beets that have been slightly pickled.  I love the combination of beets and apples, so I created this show stopping salad and have been serving it at parties and catering events ever since.  It's got all the things a salad needs:  acid, fat, crunch, sweetness, leaves and salt.  I got the winning "Yum" of approval from none other than my mom, a cook's toughest critic, so you should feel confident in this salad choice!

Belgian Endive & Spinach Salad With Beets, Apples & Walnut Oil Dressing

Hangry Timer: 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Cost: $5

What You Need:

3 Endive heads, leaves separated
3 cups Spinach
6 roasted Beets, peeled and quartered
1 large Apple, thinly sliced*
1/2 cup Goat Cheese, crumbled
1 cup Walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Walnut Oil
1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
2 large Shallots, minced
Salt
Pepper

What To do with it:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets in foil and bake until tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then peel. Cut each beet into 8 wedges. Place in medium bowl. Cover.

Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Mix in minced shallots. Pour 3 tablespoons dressing over warm beets; toss. Cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover beets and remaining dressing separately; refrigerate. Bring dressing to room temperature before continuing.)

Combine spinach, endive, apples and ¾ cup nuts in large bowl. Pour remaining dressing over; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates. Sprinkle cheese over. Top with beets and 1/4 cup nuts.

*If you're prepping the salad beforehand, rub a little lemon all over the apple slices.  It keeps the apple from turning brown and also adds a kiss of citrus to the salad!

★★★