Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges
Even though we’re well into March, it’s still citrus season. There are still plenty of Meyer lemons, Cara Cara Oranges and Golden Nuggets out there. That means there’s still plenty of time to make orange juice, lime curd or lemon meringue pie. While I love a good citrus dessert, I also love using these beautiful fruits for savory dishes and salads. Salads like this Roasted Beet and Orange Salad from Carla Snyder.
I tasted this salad a couple weeks ago at Melissa’s Produce when Snyder visited to promote her newest cookbook, One Pan, Whole Family. It was sweet and savory, with a delicious tang to tie the whole thing together. A tang that comes from both the oranges and the vinaigrette. I loved this salad so much, I requested some arugula along with Melissa’s steamed beets and their Pixie Ojai Tangerines, just so I could make the salad for my “whole family” that very night. It was easy to toss together and my family loved the salad as much as I did.
This recipe is just one of many in One Pan, Whole Family that can be thrown together in no time. As a matter of fact, Snyder makes sure that every single recipe in her book can go from kitchen to table in 45 minutes or less. 45 minutes or less! As a mother of two boys that means everything to me. Between pickups, dropoffs, after school programs, sports practices, not to mention my own busy schedule, any recipe that I can have on the table in under 45 minutes is a winner.
This is the third cookbook I own from Snyder and I’ve used the first two, Sweet and Tart and One Pan, Two Plates, a ton. What I love about her books more than anything else are how easy they are to follow. Each recipe is concise and to the point. There’s no confusion about how much to add or when to add it. But the best part about her One Pan books are that there’s barely any cleanup because… you guessed it, it’s all made in one pan. This newest book is no different: easy to follow and it’s all made in one big skillet or platter. But unlike her previous One Pan books which are made for couples, this one has recipes that serve the whole family. It’s the perfect cookbook for busy parents like me, and if the other recipes are as good as this salad, I can’t wait to use it over and over again.
Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges
Notes
Adapted from Carla Snyder's One Pan, Whole Family
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds of beets, trimmed and scrubbed
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 Cara Cara Oranges
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
- 8 ounces baby arugula
- 8 ounces crumbled herbed feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut the beets into bite-size pieces and chop 2 of the garlic cloves. Divide the beets between two large sheets of tin foil. Scatter the garlic over the top and drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and seal each piece of foil into a packet. Place both packets on a sheet pan and roast until a knife inserted into the largest chuck offers no resistance, about 30 minutes. Unwrap the beets and let cool.
- Grate the zest from one orange into a medium bowl. Peel and thinly slice both oranges and transfer them to another bowl and set aside. Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and add it to the orange zest along with the vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes so the garlic flavors the liquid. Discard the garlic. Whisk in the mustard and remaining olive oil in a steady stream. Toss the warm beets into the dressing and let sit.
- Mound the arugula on a serving platter and lay the orange slices on top. Add the dressed beets and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle the feta and sunflower seeds over the top and serve.
