Recipe: Dill Roasted Beet Goat Cheese Crostini with Arugula Salad

Yay for beets!  The better the goat cheese, the better this dish is, so splash out for the good stuff.  I’ve never been a big fan of dill – not sure why (dill pickles?) but they added a nice touch to the beets without a lot of overpowering flavor.  This dish was super satisfying paired with a simple arugula salad in a balsamic vinaigrette .

Ingredients for the beets

• 4 beets (2 red and 2 yellow)
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 400.  Trim and wash the beets.  Wrap each beet individually in foil and bake in a dish for 40 minutes to an hour, or until a sharp knife easily pierces the beet (if the beets are different sizes, some will cook faster than others).  Cool enough to handle.  Wearing rubber gloves (to keep your skin from turning pink), peel off the skin and trim any problem areas with a knife.  Keep the red beets separate from the yellow ones.  Chop into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan, toss in the dill and squeeze the lemon into the mixture.  Toss the beets in the butter (yellow ones first, then red) and set aside.

Ingredients for the Crostini

• 4 thick slices seeded whole grain bread, toasted
• 4 oz good goat cheese
• Beets, prepared as above

To assemble, lavish the cheese on the toast and gently place the beets on top.  Serve with an arugula salad.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Nothing mind blowing here in terms of flavor profiles, etc.  but this was a tasty salad!  Inspired by this recipe from the NY Times we used lots of greens and all our beets.  I don’t think i’ve ever actually cooked beets, but the NY Times technique made it mess-less and quick.

Ingredients for roasted beets

• 3 beets, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375.  Toss the beets in the oil & vinegar, salt & pepper.  Spread out in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and cover with another piece of foil.  Crimp the edges a bit to make a packet and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil lid, stir the beets around and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the beets are done.

Ingredients for the salad

• 2 bunches arugula
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• 2 t chopped tarragon
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• goat cheese, to taste

Wash and dry arugula well.  In a small bowl, combine vinegar, oil, tarragon and garlic and whisk to combine.  Toss with salad and salt & pepper.  Crumble goat cheese and toss with salad.  Plate salad, top with more goat cheese, beets, and garlic bread.

Recipe: Roasted Veggies & Goat Cheese

Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest and yummiest preparations you can do.  I thought I was making enough veggies for leftovers, but they were so good we polished off everything.

Ingredients

• 3 turnips, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 bunch young carrots, scrubbed
• some fingerling potatoes, washed
• some Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and halved
• a small handful of herbs – thyme, rosemary, marjoram, etc.
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 baby shallots, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• goat cheese
• arugula
• balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and a good pinch of s&p.  Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and place into the oven.  Stir the veggies around every 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, combine the broccoli, shallots, and garlic and toss with more olive oil, s&p.  Once the veggies are pretty much done (about 25-30 minutes) toss in broccoli mixture and cook for another 10 minutes.  While the broccoli is cooking, toss arugula with some balsamic and s&p and arrange on the bottom of a plate.  Place roasted veggies on top of arugula and top the whole mess with some goat cheese.