Roasted Beet, Cucumber, and Feta Salad

There are lots of ways to divide the world.  You know, those who love cats and those who don't; those who wear turtlenecks all winter and those who won't.  But lately, I've been thinking about those who love beets and those who hate them.  There doesn't seem to be anyone in between. 

I happen to be one of the ones who loves them.  They are a gorgeous color, easy to cook, and have a wonderful, sweet, earthy taste.  What's not to love?  Beets and goat cheese are an excellent combination.  This salad combines those sweet beets with tangy feta, crunchy cucumbers, and a dill vinaigrette.  It is the perfect fall salad. 

I had high hopes that the children would enjoy this dish.  Last fall, they were willing to try beets after they harvested their own.  We were at a pick-your-own farm and the kids went wild pulling the beets out of the ground.  I had to stop them after they had pulled about 30 beets because, even for a beet lover like me, that is a lot of beets. 

But my hopes were a bit too high.  Olivia was willing to try the salad and loved it.  We convinced Oscar to eat some of the cucumber that had touched a beet, but the beet itself went uneaten.  And Chloe just stared that salad down without even a nibble.  But Gabe and I thought it was delicious, so I thought it was worth sharing, just in case there are some beet lovers in your house.

Roasted Beet, Feta, and Cucumber Salad

Serves 6 as a side salad
10 minutes preparation time
20-45 minutes baking time

6 medium beets, preferably an assortment of colors, scrubbed
1 1/2 seedless cucumbers, washed
1/2 pound feta

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Wrap beets in foil and roast them on a cookie sheet until they are tender when pierced with a fork.  The cooking time will vary according to the size of the beets, but will likely take between 20 and 45 minutes. 

While the beets are cooking, make the dressing.  Whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously, so that it emulsifies.  Add the dill, and whisk again.

When the beets are finished cooking, remove them from the oven and let them cool.  When they are cool enough to handle, remove the foil and slip off their skins.  Slice the beets across into rounds (latitudinally) and then cut the rounds into quarters (the result will be pie-shaped pieces).  Slice the cucumber the same way, first into rounds and then into quarters. 

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the cucumbers with half of the dressing.  Add the beets and toss briefly.  Break the feta into chunks and stir them gently into the cucumbers and beets.  Taste.  Add more dressing and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

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Comments

[Andrea]

Only 30 beets?!! Oh yeah, we've got beet lovers in our house..."You can't have anymore beets until you eat some pasta" was a real dinnertime command once.

I have been dreaming about a beet/roasted zucchini/hazelnut/goat cheese combo that started as an appetizer (as you might recall, in fact), morphed into a salad, and Kevin's suggesting a sandwich now. We just might have to try this instead, plus I think the kids would find these ingredients overall more acceptable....

[Margy]

Andrea: It's so funny we things we find ourselved saying. After watching a much younger Olivia take a bite out of something and move on too many times, I remember telling her, "You have to finish your cookie before you can have an apple." And I do remember that beet dish. I think we had it as a salad. Yum!

[Craig]

Made this tonight, it was outstanding, and we got to have a nice bowl of beet greens besides. Thanks for the recipe! If only I could talk my kids into eating beets as well...

[Margy]

So glad you liked it, Craig. I'll have to take my kids beet picking next year to see if I canhook them back in. In the meantime, more for Gabe and me!