‘Twas the night before finals… and visions of multinational enterprises, supply and demand, and the importance of corporate social responsibility (ugh) were competing with visions of actual sugar plums. You can’t imagine how hard it is to focus on something as dull as financial accounting when all that is on your mind is what kinds of cookies you could be baking at the moment. Seriously, can’t they schedule finals at a time when my head isn’t full of pumpkin and gingerbread? Better yet, not when three-fourths of the population is fighting a cold. Is that really too much to ask?
Finals week may be the death of me, but I will go happily, knowing that this salad of all things is one of the best things I have eaten in quite some time. Warm roasted beets, arugula, and blood orange segments are tossed with a sweet apple cider vinaigrette. Oh, and I toss in some bacon for good measure. Brain food, baby!
Beet and Blood Orange Salad
| Yield | 6 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 1 hour, 20 minutes |
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 2 lb red or golden beets, peeled
- 6 thick slices bacon, diced
- 3 cups baby arugula leaves
- 4 blood oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
Directions
| Vinaigrette | |
| 1. | Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, and thyme in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. |
| Salad | |
| 2. | Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets on a sheet of foil and wrap the foil around the beets to seal. Roast for about 1 hour, until the beets are fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a small bowl. Toss the beets with half of the vinaigrette and let marinate for 30 minutes. |
| 3. | Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels. |
| 4. | Toss the arugula with the marinated beets, bacon, orange segments, and red onion in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top and toss to coat. |
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ahhh, looks amazing! Good luck on finals… not that you need it!
Thanks, I do need it!!
can a different type of orange be substituted? I don’t ever see blood oranges in our stores.
Absolutely! Any orange that you can find will be delicious.
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