This is a really tasty salad! The secret is in roasting the beets and also using a high quality balsamic vinegar. Make the beets ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge until ready to use (within a few days). We had this tonight as a side with gnocchi. Delicious!! Serves four as a side dish.
Ingredients:
-4 medium sized beets, washed and rough ends cut off (no need to peel)
-3 tbsp olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
-freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste
-1 tsp hot picante sauce (optional)
-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-6 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
-2 tbsp/about 50 grams/ of soft, unripened goat cheese (enough to add some nice flavour but not a lot of saturated fat and calories!)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Slice the beets into rounds that are about one inch thick. Place in a shallow roasting pan and toss with oil, garlic, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook, uncovered, until a fork easily pierces centres (about 30 minutes).
2. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut each round into quarters. Place in a serving bowl and toss with the fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. Crumble to goat cheese over top and serve.
