Roasted Red Root Vegetable Salad

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This is a REAL great salad of roasted red root vegetables served with a spectacular roasted garlic aioli. This salad is very tasty and is great as a main course salad served on top of a bed of crisp greens or as a side dish complimenting a several course meal! It is great served warm or cold anytime of year!

3 large red beets
12 small red potatoes
8 medium red carrots (use orange carrots if red aren’t available)
1 large red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil

Remove the greens from the top of the beets and save for another use. Remove the greens on the top of the carrots and use as mulch for your garden. Clean and scrub the beets, potatoes and carrots (trimming the ends of the carrots and beets) with a stiff brush and water. Make sure the vegetables are dirt-free.

Place the beets at the bottom of a large stock pot and fill the pot with water so it is just covering the beets. Open a collapsible steamer basket and place it on top of the beets. Add the carrots (cut in 2 inch pieces) and the potatoes (leave them whole). Place a lid on top and bring the pot to a boil, this allows the beets to boil and the carrots and potatoes to steam. Cook for 12 minutes or until partially cooked.

Remove vegetables from boiling water with tongs and/or a slotted spoon and cool.

Peel the beets by running cold water over them and gently rubbing off the outer skin.

Cut the beets in 2 inch chunks and quarter the potatoes. Chop the large red onion in large pieces. Mix all of the vegetables together with one tablespoon of olive oil and lay on a large sheet pan. Place the pan in a hot oven (350F) and roast for 10 minutes or until tender but not soft.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Dressing
1 bulb of roasted garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
chopped fresh dill

Cut the top off of a large bulb of garlic (about an 1/8th of an inch) and roast it in a small ovenproof container (covered) 30 minutes in a hot oven (375ºF) until soft — Let the bulb of garlic cool enough so you can handle it. Squeeze the softened garlic from their cloves and place the roasted garlic puree in a blender. Add the mustard, vinegar, nutritional yeast and puree. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the blender. While the blender is running on low, pour the olive oil in a steady stream while the dressing is processing and run for several seconds until completely combined, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula. You should have a thick dressing the consistency of mayonnaise. If you want a thinner dressing add a teaspoon of water (more olive oil and/or vinegar can also be added). Once you have the consistency you desire, mix in the chopped fresh dill reserving some for garnish.

Making The Salad

Combine the roasted vegetables with half of the dressing and let marinade for several minutes or, if serving cold, chill for several hours. You may serve on a bed of lettuce at room temperature or chill and serve cold as a side dish.

Garnish the salad with chopped dill and serve with the remaining dressing on the side for those wanting more of the yummy rich aioli. The aioli also goes well on lettuce or as a spread on your favorite bread or cracker or as a vegetable dip.

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