Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad

My partner hates beets. So now that he's in South America for next couple of weeks, I'm going to go nuts with the beets. I love beets because they're juicy, sweet and give me red teeth for a coupe of hours so I look creepier than I really am. Red teeth and the fact that beets are nutritious and great with cheese makes me like them even more.

I picked up some fresh beet from the farmer's market over the weekend and decided to use them today for a quick and easy salad dish. And of course, paired with arugula in honor of the "arugula-flavoured politics" acceptance speech due tomorrow. We all need change and some arugula, yes sir we do. I used a 4 pepper goat cheese I picked up from the grocery store, but any kind of goat cheese will work well. I paired the salad with a bottle of Columbia Crest Riesling ($5.99) and two slices of quick and easy bruschetta.

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad
Serves 2

1 small beet
1.25 cup baby arugula
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 tbsp chopped walnuts

Dressing
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dry vermouth or sherry
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Scrub and clean the beet, trimming off the green parts but leaving the skin on. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake at 425°F for 30 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and let cool. The skin can easily be removed by rubbing it with a damp paper towel. Slice the beets 1/4 inch thick and season with salt and pepper.

Serve over arugula leaves and topped with chopped walnuts and goat cheese. Drizzle dressing.