Roasted Beet & Asparagus Salad

My brother and sister in law make a roasted beet and asparagus salad that is very good. This is not it; I simply took home the ideas of "roasted" "beets and asparagus" and "salad", and went from there. The beets and asparagus can - and perhaps should, especially the beets - be roasted in advance of assembling the salad.

2 to 4 servings
30 minutes prep time - not including 1 hour to roast the beets


Salad:
4 to 8 smallish beets
450 grams (1 pound) asparagus
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 to 8 large lettuce leaves
150 grams (5 ounces) feta cheese

Wash the beets, but don't trim them. Roast them at 375°F for about an hour, until tender. I tend to roast beets for salad when I am baking something else; they will keep in the fridge for about a week. Allow the beets to cool completely before using.

Wash and trim the asparagus, and toss it with the grapeseed oil on a baking sheet. Spread it out and sprinkle it with the sea salt. Roast it at 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until well done. Let it cool.

Wash and dry the lettuce, and arrange it in a salad bowl or on individual serving plates. Arrange the beets, peeled and cut in quarters over it, as well as the asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces and the crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with the salad dressing.

Dressing:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
a little salt, maybe

Squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl, and add the oil. Grind the dill and fennel seeds and add them, with the paprika. Add a little salt, depending on how successful the sea salt was at sticking to the asparagus. Whisk well, and drizzle over the salad.




Last year around now, I was making Roasted Lamb Chops and Roasted Gnocchi & Asparagus.