As hard as I try, I can’t seem to turn off the oven during the summer. Right now nearly everything in season can be eaten straight from the vine, so I decided to experiment with this tomato beet salad. After picking up all sorts of colorful bumpy heirlooms at the farmers market and a bunch of striped Chioggia beets, I planned to keep the ingredients raw for a simple lunch on a scorcher of a day.
I had never eaten an uncooked beet, and after peeling and slicing into paper-thin rounds on my mandolin, I was less than impressed. I decided to roast the remaining beets in the oven, but still go ahead with my original salad with just that one revision. The result was a flavorful dish with tomatoes and beets in all hues drizzled with lemon vinaigrette and topped with walnuts, feta and chives.
Tomato Beet Salad
Serves 4
2 Chioggia beets
1 pound heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh chives
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash the beets and place them on individual sheets of aluminum foil. Drizzle the beets with 1 teaspoon olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold into loose packets and transfer to a sheet pan. Roast the beets for 50-60 minutes until they are easily pierced with a knife. Once the beets have cooled, use a paper towel to rub off the skin and slice in 1/4-inch-thick rounds.
For the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil until fully combined.
Arrange the tomatoes and beets on a serving dish. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with feta, walnuts, chives and the remaining salt and pepper.
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