Recipe: Roasted Beet Salad With Yogurt-Feta Dressing And Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
The deep, earthy flavor of beets is heightened by the tangy yogurt-feta dressing.
Beets, like carrots, radishes, parsnips and a few other root vegetables, are classified as the taproot of their plant. Taproots burrow deep into the soil in order to create stability against whatever comes — anchoring the above-the-ground plant in the nourishing soil and socking away starches and minerals to weather the lean times. If the adage “you are what you eat” has any bearing on the matter its no wonder that I’m drawn to cooking and consuming these ingenious botanical storage facilities right now. But most importantly, I love the deeply earthy flavor of beets and find it connecting and comforting even when winter is not upon us. If you are lucky enough to find beets with the greens still attached and they look vital and robust, you can wash them and add to your favorite salad mix. Unlike radish tops, which are quite peppery, beet greens have a milder flavor, similar to Swiss chard or spinach.
Roased Beet Salad with Yogurt-Feta Dressing and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
Serves 4
For the beets:
1-2 pounds of red or golden beets, tops removed and lightly scrubbed but not peeled. I like them to be about the size of a tennis ball.
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt or Maldon sea salt
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2 peels of lemon zest
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a medium-sized baking dish with aluminum foil. Roll the beets around in the baking dish with the olive oil and salt. Sprinkle a splash of cold water in the dish, lay the thyme and lemon zest over the beets and wrap the top of the baking dish tightly with additional foil
Place the baking dish on the middle rack of the oven and roast until tender, at least one hour depending on the beets. I check by lifting up one corner of the foil and piercing a beet with the tip of a sharp knife. There should be little to no resistance.
Let the beets cool to room temperature before removing the foil and peeling the beets. If you are cooking red beets consider wearing plastic gloves while peeling due to their strong pigment. Slice the beets to about a half-inch thick and arrange the beets on top of your greens. Dress with the yogurt-feta dressing — about 2 tablespoons per serving —and a generous pinch of the spiced pumpkin seeds.
Yogurt-Feta Dressing
Yield: about 1 ½ cups
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
½ cup sheep’s milk feta, crumbled
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly minced garlic
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Optional: a pinch of minced fresh dill or tarragon
Stir together all ingredients and let mellow at least 1 hour before using. Don’t over mix; the feta cheese should still be a little chunky in the dressing.
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
2 oz of raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika (pimenton de la vera)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon crushed coriander seed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Saute the pumpkin seeds in a skillet with the oil over medium low heat until lightly browned. Take the pan off the heat and while the pumpkin seeds are still warm, stir in the spices. Drain the spiced pumpkin seeds on paper towels and cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
