Beet Salad with Beet Greens & Feta

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine 

Husband-Tested in Alice Wootton’s kitchen

Good cooks never discard the nutritious beet greens. Here, the greens are combined with roasted beets, capers and feta in a Greek-inspired salad. This was my very first experience with fresh beets years ago. This is a great salad to introduce yourself and your family with fresh beets and beet greens. Capers and feta really make this salad especially nice. The salad is pretty to look at too! Find the ingredients for this nutritious salad at Lost River Market & Deli and Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Markets.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

7 medium-large beets (about 3 inches in diameter) with greens

1 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped drained capers

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces) (blue cheese or goat cheese make great substitutes)

Preheat oven to 375°F.  (See Note)  Whisk oil, vinegar and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.
Cut green tops off beets; reserve tops. Arrange beets in single layer in 13x9x2-inch baking dish; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until beets are tender when pierced with knife, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Peel beets while warm. Cut beets in half and slice thinly. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in capers and 1/4 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut stems off beet greens; discard stems. Wash greens. Transfer greens, with some water still clinging to leaves, to large pot. Stir over high heat until just wilted but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain greens; squeeze out excess moisture. Cool; chop coarsely. Toss greens with the remaining dressing and add to the beets. Toss gently. Sprinkle with the feta cheese.

Note:  When the weather is hot, don’t use the oven to cook the beets.  Just place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook until beets are fork tender.