Food - Beet and Goat Cheese Salad for 4

It is a marvelous book for an upstate NY locavore, such as myself.  The book is full of amazing stories about fresh food, the farms and the farmers who grow the food in the North Country, and, most significantly, it has pages of phenomenal recipes for the foods that we grow in our northern climes and we can readily find at our local farmers' market.  This beet salad recipe can be found in this book.  I chose it as it is delicious, unique and showcases some our own Saratoga Farmers Market products just coming into season.  It is also my kind of recipe--gourmet taste and yet simple to make.  Recipe credits in the book go to Rhonda Butler of Au Sable Forks, NY.  Go upstate NY'ers!!  Go Fresh Local Food!

Ingredients:

4 beets, about the size of your fist

5 oz. Fresh chevre cheese

1⁄2 c. walnut pieces

Mixed garden greens

Maple Vinaigrette (see below)

1⁄2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1⁄4 c. red wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1-2 tsp. fresh chives, basil, oregano and/or thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

1. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a tightly sealed container and shake to combine.

2.  Wrap the beets in foil and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes (until beets can be easily poked with a fork). Remove beets from the oven and cool.  Gently slide the skins off the beets.  Note: beets can be prepared 2-3 days ahead and stored in refridgerator.

3.  Wash and dry garden greens.  Assemble onto 4 salad plates.  Slice or dice beets on top of greens.  Dot the beets and greens with fresh chevre.  Sprinkle walnuts on top.  Drizzle the maple vinaigrette to taste.