Roasted Beet, Blueberry & Aged Cheddar Salad
A recent, perfect Saturday went a little like this: Load up on (lots and lots of) fresh produce at the farmers’ market, walk to our favorite restaurant Graze, order the best Bloody Marys in town, and split a perfect salad and perfect egg sandwich. Oh, and then take a nice long nap after! This salad is my at-home recreation of the one we ate for brunch that day. We thought it was the best combination, one we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves—juicy, roasted beets paired with sweet summer blueberries and Hook’s 10-year cheddar. We do live in Wisconsin after all, so it’s only appropriate that a locally sourced restaurant finds clever ways to incorporate local cheeses into their plates. And even better that the grocery stores here carry those cheeses, too.
3 large beets
2 handfuls of blueberries
1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
10 roasted, salted almonds, coarsely chopped
Hook’s 10-year cheddar (or another aged cheddar), crumbled
Arugula or mixed greens
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse and scrub beets, then transfer to middle of a large piece of foil and create a packet. Add a few tablespoons of water before closing the foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast 20-30 minutes until easily pierced with a fork. To make the dressing, whisk together vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Once beets are cooked, remove from foil and rub skin off with a paper towel or thinly slice off with a knife. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Dress the greens and pile onto plates. Top with the beets, blueberries, aged cheddar, red onions and almonds. Finish with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.