Roasted Beet and Beet Greens Salad with Apple and Goat Cheese

6 servings

10 to 12 small yellow and red beets with greens attached, about 3 pounds total
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 medium tart crisp apple (such as Granny Smith)
4 ounces or so of slightly aged goat cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°.

Slice the greens off right at the top of the beets, then scrub the beets and poke each of them with a fork a few times. Put them all in a shallow baking dish, uncrowded, with an 1/8-inch of water covering the bottom. Place the dish in the oven, uncovered. Roast the beets — the water will actually steam them a bit first — until they are shriveled, dark and caramelized outside and tender all the way through (when poked with a knife), 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours, depending on size. Let them cool.

Meanwhile, rinse the beet greens well, trim the tough parts of the stems, and cut the usable stem pieces from the leaves. Bring a big pan of water to the boil, drop in the stems, cook for about 10 minutes, then add the leaves. Cook for 20 minutes more or until the stems are quite soft. Drain in a sieve; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the hot greens and let them cool. If you do not want to roast the beets, boiling them will yield good result but not as good as baked.

Peel the beets well, removing all the skin, the stem base and root tip, exposing the gleaming flesh. Cut in wedges and place in a big mixing bowl. Cut the greens (both leaves and stems) in 2-inch lengths and toss with the beet wedges.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar, with another 1/4 teaspoon salt and grinds of pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the beets and toss.

Cut the apple in half, remove the core, then slice the apple halves into thin matchstick pieces. Arrange the dressed beets on a serving platter or portion on salad plates; fold in the apple pieces, then crumble goat cheese on top just before serving.