I know that this recipe is a little more time consuming that the ones that I usually share. I tend to cook recipes that are a little quicker because like you I don’t always have a lot of time to get a meal on the table. Typically I would probably just roast the beets along with other root vegetables and add a green salad and maybe a meat for the meal but this salad is so pretty and tasty and I promise that it doesn’t take as long to prepare as it looks like. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad ala Caprese

Serves 4-6

4 medium beets, preferably 2 red and 2 golden, scrubbed and trimmed

1 T olive oil

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 T red wine vinegar

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 T fresh orange juice

1 t dijon mustard

1 t honey

1/3 cup olive oil

2 balls (4 to 6 ounces each) fresh milk mozzarella cheese, drained and patted dry

2 medium oranges

Sea salt to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced in very thin ribbons

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Dry the beets with paper towels and rub them with the tablespoon of olive oil.

Season them with salt and pepper and wrap each beet individually in foil, sealing it tightly.  Place the beets directly on the oven rack and roast until they are very tender, 50 to 60 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove the beets from the oven and let them cool on a rack (still in their foil packets) until they are cool enough to handle, 30-40 minutes.  (The cooked beets can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days in advance.  Return the beets to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe).

Peel the beets or rub off the skins with a clean kitchen towel.  Cut the beets into 1/4 inch thick rounds, discarding the top and bottom pieces.

Place the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, honey and extra virgin olive oil in a glass jar.  Cover the jar tightly with a lid and shake it vigorously to combine.  Season the dressing with salt and pepper to taste and add more honey if you prefer a sweeter flavor.  Set the dressing aside at room temperature while you finish the salad (or refrigerate it for up to 5 days).

Cut the mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Place the cheese on a platter and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette.  Let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cut off a thin slice from the top and bottom of each orange so that the fruit will sit level on a cutting board.  Using a sharp paring knife, remove wide strips of the peel and white pith by cutting downward, following the contour of the fruit.  Leave the flesh intact.  Cut the oranges crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices.

To assemble the salad, arrange slices of beets, cheese and oranges in an attractive overlapping pattern.  Drizzle the salad with some of the vinaigrette and season it lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Scatter the basil ribbons over the salad and serve at room temperature.  The beets will bleed and color the cheese, but that is part of the effect.

Recipe from Earth-Bound Cook by Myra Goodman