Roasted Beet and Beet Greens Salad with Apple and Goat Cheese

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 400°.

   Step 2

   Slice the greens off right at the top of the beets, reserving the stems and greens, then scrub the beets and poke each of them with a fork a few times. Put them all in a shallow baking dish, uncrowded, with 1/8 inch of water covering the bottom. Place the dish in the oven, uncovered. Roast the beets—the water will actually steam them a bit first—until they are shriveled, dark, and caramelized outside, and tender all the way through (when poked with a knife), 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size. Let them cool.

   Step 3

   Meanwhile, rinse the beet greens well, trim off the tough parts of the stems, and cut the usable stem pieces from the leaves. Bring a big pan of water to the boil, drop in the stems, cook for about 10 minutes, then add the leaves. Cook for 20 minutes more, or until the stems are quite soft. Drain in a sieve; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the hot greens, and let them cool.

   Step 4

   Peel the beets well, removing all the skin, the stem base, and the root tip, exposing the gleaming flesh. Cut in wedges, and place in a big mixing bowl. Cut the greens (both leaves and stems) in 2-inch lengths, and toss with the beet wedges.

   Step 5

   Whisk together the oil and vinegar, with the remaining salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the beets, and toss.

   Step 6

   Cut the apple in half, remove the core, then slice the apple halves into thin matchstick pieces. Arrange the dressed beets on a serving platter, or portion on salad plates; fold in the apple pieces, then crumble goat cheese on top just before serving.