in the kitchen: roasted beet & carrot salad

Beets. I can't honestly say that I have always loved these veggies, but in my "adult life" their earthiness and interesting flavor, especially when roasted! So when my cousin shared how much she enjoyed this salad, I knew I needed to add it to my cooking "to do" list ASAP! Lucky for me, my parents get a farmer's market basket each week and their is usually a beet in there, so I might even be able to use something right off the farm. How do you feel about veggies of the beet variety? Tasty? Not so tasty? Worth giving another try? 

If you're willing to try them out, I think this roasted beet and carrot salad (with goat cheese dressing!!!) just might win you over!

Roasted Beet & Carrot salad with Goat Cheese dressing via Food & Wine

• 1 1/2 pounds golden beets with tops
• 1 1/2 pounds red beets with tops
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, halved
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces fresh baby carrots
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 ounce soft goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Peel the beets and cut them into 1-inch wedges. Discard the tough stems from the beet tops and coarsely chop the leaves

2. In a bowl, toss the golden beets with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and 2 garlic clove halves and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in one-third of a large ovenproof skillet. Repeat with the red beets and then the carrots, using 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 2 garlic halves for each vegetable. Set the skillet over high heat and cook without stirring until sizzling. Cover the skillet and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes, until tender. Transfer the vegetables to a platter

3. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and half of the shallot. Season with salt and pepper and whisk in the goat cheese

4. In the skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the remaining shallot and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 1 minute. Add the chopped beet greens and cook until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper 

5.Add half of the goat cheese dressing to the beet greens and toss. Add the roasted vegetables and toss once or twice. Transfer the salad to a platter and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve right away.

*Note: recipe author, Grace Parisi says you can prepare the roasted veggies up to three days in advance-just reheat veggies when preparing the salad! Check out more recipes from her here!