Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

While watching wedding shows the other day, I saw the most fantastic preparation of roasted beets and goat cheese...looking at it made my mouth water.  Now, I have never been a beet person...but the beets I have had are the ones that came in cans from the store.  No wonder I didn't like them.  After trying this recipe, I don't think I will ever make beets any other way than by roasting them.  I started out by scrubbing the beets and cutting the greens and bottom tip off.   I used chioggia beets, but any kind will work.  I laid a piece of foil down on a cookie sheet, and poured a little olive oil onto it. 

I put the clean beets into the oil, rolled them around a little bit, and then covered them with another piece of foil.  Then I scrunched the edges together like this.  I put them in the oven at 350 degrees.  I let them roast for about an hour and fifteen minutes. 

I made sure they were done by sticking a knife into the center of each one.  If it went in easily, I knew they were ready to go.  I could hear the beets sizzling in the oil the whole time they cooked, and the smell was fantastic!

I let them cool a little bit, then pulled the skins off.  After roasting, their jackets just peel right off easily.  I cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and set to the side.  In a skillet, I mixed 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar.  You could also use rice wine vinegar.  I stirred the mixture and heated until it was bubbling nicely.  I put the beet slices in and cooked them for a couple of minutes on each side at a low simmer.  I took them out and put them on a paper towel to soak up the extra liquid. 

I didn't get a good picture of the next step.  My intention was to cut the goat cheese into circular slices and stack them with the beets.  However, the cheese I got was too soft to slice, it must have been more the spreading kind.  I made it work, but if you want to try pretty stacks, get a somewhat more solid goat cheese.  Mine turned out to be little chunks, but I heated them for a little bit in a skillet with just a touch of olive oil.  You could grill them lightly if you had slices.  I put the beets on a plate, and topped with the just melting goat cheese chunks. 

I sprinkled a little bit of chunky salt over the top and then finished with some baby greens.  I used gala mache, but any kind would work. Then it was done, and I ate the whole thing.  You could roast many more beets if you were making this dish to share...I only made a few because I was eating it by myself as my lunch.  I couldn't convince my son to try this, but he doesn't like a lot of cheese.  I am going to try and get him to eat the beets on their own with dinner sometime.  Whether this was stacked or not, it was absolutely delicious!  I bet it would have been great with a glass of red wine.

On a side note, this is my latest kitchen purchase.  This kitchen scale will weigh up to 22 lbs.  I am looking forward to weighing the produce that comes out of my garden from now on.