Roasted Beets in Vinaigrette

By lindsayvk

Ingredients

• Vinaigrette:
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• juice of 3 lemons
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)
• 2 Tbsp light-colored vinegar (I prefer champagne, but white wine vinegar is fine too)
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• For Beets:
• 2 bunches beets, washed, greens removed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup mustard vinaigrette (
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

For Vinaigrette: Put all ingredients in a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. Close the jar and shake well. Taste and adjust; does it need more salt? more acid? a little more oil? You can't ruin it, so don't be afraid to play with the proportions.


For Beets:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Tear off two large pieces of foil and place one on top of the other in an X. Put the beets in the middle, sprinkle them with the olive oil, and fold up the sides of the foil to encase the beets in a little package. Place the foil package on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Roast the beets about 90 minutes, until they are very tender.

2. Remove the beets from the oven, let cool about 10 minutes, and then, carefully, slip the skins from the beets - they will come off easily, but the beets will still be hot, so try not to burn yourself. Cut the warm beets into cubes and dress with the vinaigrette; add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving, and the longer you wait, the better they'll taste.