During the holidays I always feel inclined to incorporate red and green wherever I can. Enter, this salad! No creepy food colorings, beets are an all natural bright red and any salad green can be used to top this dish. However, the peppery flavor of the arugula compliments the sweetness of the beets and pears nicely. This is the perfect salad to spice up your holiday table. And it’s relatively healthy too! You could also make this winter citrus salad which also has a beautiful presentation.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend. We kicked ours off last night meeting up with some high school friends. Then it’s off to dinner tonight with family and a full day of family gatherings tomorrow! I have most of my cooking/baking done or at least prepped. Trying to work in a little relaxation time as well. 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Roasted Beet and Asian Pear Salad, adapted from Epicurious
makes 4 servings
- 1 bunch beets (3/4 pound without greens or 1 1/4 pound with), trimmed
- 1/4 cup sliced natural almonds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large Asian pear
- 3 cups baby arugula (3 ounces)
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Wrap beets in foil and roast in middle of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap beets and cool.
While beets are roasting, cook almonds in oil in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden. Cool almonds in oil (nuts will get darker as they cool). Transfer almonds with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and season with salt.
Stir together shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and oil from almonds in a large bowl.
Slip skins from beets and halve large beets. Cut beets into 1/4-inch-thick slices and add to dressing, tossing to coat.
Quarter and core pear and cut into julienne strips.
Arrange beets on a platter and drizzle with any dressing remaining in bowl. Top with mâche, then pear. Sprinkle with almonds.
