Oven Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Oven Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

1 bag of Arugula 

4 Fresh Beets

10 or so Fresh Figs cut lengthwise into quarters 

1 8 oz. package of Goat Cheese, crumbled

1 small Red Onion sliced thinly

Candied Walnuts (instructions below)

To start the salad put each individual beet into foil along with the holy trinity olive oil, salt and freshly cracked pepper. Roast the beets on a sheet pan for about 30-40 minutes or until you can stick a fork in it. Once finished, let sit, than peel with paper towel (you can also prep these the night before and leave them sleeping while you do). Next, cut all salad ingredients including the lovely red beets, figs, onion and last but not least the goat cheese. 

[Now at this point if you are like me and would love a candied walnut in your salad it is quite possibly the easiest thing to do and you will not be buying them pre-made anymore.]

Just add the walnuts in a dry pan on low heat. Roast until fragrant a.k.a. you smell them and they smell good dammit. Than add in about 1/4 cup of regular white sugar. Stir and try not to drool into the pan please as it will smell like a candy shop in your kitchen. Than once the sugar has dissolved a bit drizzle in a healthy drizzle of honey (side note- I LOVE DRIZZLE). You will know when the walnuts are ready when you cannot stop eating them out of the pan. Once that happens, leave them to cool but keep moving them around a bit so they do not stick together! 

Assembling the salad 101-Greens always go first so put the arugula in the bowl and start the fun. Next is the beets, figs, goat cheese, onions and candied walnuts. I mean seriously NOT rocket science. Dress however you like. I mean the salad. I dressed this particular salad with EVOO, a splash of balsamic and S&P (freshly cracked P that is). Just let the ingredients do all the talking...and you get to eating!