1 1/2 pounds golden beets
1 1/2 pounds medium red beets
extra virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 small blood oranges
1/4 pound baby arugula
1/4 pound baby spinach
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
blood orange vinaigrette :
2 blood oranges
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 medium shallot
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Goat cheese rounds
8 ounces goat cheese, log sliced into 1 oz pieces
1 cup bread crumbs, panko
salt & pepper, herbs to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. trim the tops and roots from the beets and wash well. Place the red beets on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Seal the foil and repeat with the golden beets. Place both foil pillows on a sheet tray and roast in oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Allow the beets to cool and then peel.
While the beets are roasting, peel the oranges with a serrated knife and remove all of the white pith. Slice into rounds 1/4 inch thick. remove the pips and reserve the slices in the refrigerator unless you will be using them within 2 to 3 hours.
Prepare the blood orange sherry vinaigrette
Wash the Arugula and spinach well and spin dry. Mix the greens together and reserve covered with a damp towel in the refrigerator.
Cut each peeled beet into 8 wedges. keep the yellow beets seperate from red beets or their colors will blend together. Toss each with 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Allow the beets to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Coat cheese with olive oil; season with salt, pepper and dry herb of your choice, roll in breadcrumbs and then place rounds on a non stick oven proof plate and in the oven until brown and soft. Carefully place each round on the salad plate and plate the salad around it.
In a large bowl, toss the beets and juices together with enough vinaigrette to coat; add the orange segments gently so that they don't break up.
Drizzle the greens with vinaigrette to moisten and toss with the beets and blood oranges; season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate with the goat cheese and garnish with chopped chives.
BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
Juice and strain blood oranges. Measure out twice the amount of juice as you will sherry vinegar. In a medium bowl, whisk the juice with the shallots and the sherry vinegar ; season with salt and pepper and let mixture stand for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil to taste. Start with half of the amount suggested and add more if it is to acidic for your taste.
