Roasted Beet and Apple Salad

This recipe was published in 'Christmas 101, Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year’s (Rick Rodgers) - p37'.

This is one of my most popular dinner party salads. Even people who think they don’t like beets love it, which is understandable because roasted beets have it hands down over the canned variety. The salad has many different textures and flavors that meld together into a beautiful crimson mélange.

Makes 8 servings

Make Ahead: The beets can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.

Ingredients:
• 3 large beets (about 2 pounds)
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into ½-inch dice
• 8 large red lettuce leaves
• 5 ounces Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup toasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

DRESSING
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. If the beets have their greens attached, trim the greens, leaving about 1 inch of the stems attached to the beets. Scrub the beets under cold running water. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the beets are tender when pierced with the tip of a long, sharp knife, about 1 and 1⁄2 hours, depending on the size of the beets. Cool completely without unwrapping the beets.

2. Unwrap the beets and peel them. Cut into 3⁄4-inch cubes. Place in self-sealing plastic bags and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

3. To make the dressing, in a large bowl, whisk together the balsamic and cider vinegars, the sugar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the beets and apples and mix.

4. To serve, place a lettuce leaf on each plate, and spoon the salad onto the lettuce. Top each salad with some of the cheese and hazelnuts. Serve chilled.