The challenge with being last in the week is that your Flavour combinations are likely all gone by the time it comes to post. At least I can be assured with Deborah's beet liqueur post from last Sunday I'm safe of a replication there! Cindy combined beets and goat cheese in a tart. Jan roasted beets with a citrus vinaigrette. Palma made an amazing looking salad with roasted beets, some citrus, and goat cheese on the side. Sandi had some citrus roasted beets with some goat cheese. Kim had those delicious looking thinkly sliced roasted beet chips.

Then comes Jerry's day.

SIGH

I made a salad. I used roasted beets. There's goat cheese. Citrus. Walnuts. Thyme. Olive Oil. Walnut Oil. A hint of mustard. Most of which has been done already.

That aside, this was a great salad. I whipped it up yesterday afternoon when I got back from a short work trip to Ottawa. I roasted the beets in advance and left them on the trays at room temperature. Once the beets were done I put the walnuts in the still warm oven to toast them. By the time they were done I had measured out everything from the vinaigrette (well, except for the chopped toasted walnuts - they went in next). Nothing left to do, I curled up on the coach with a blanket, two cats, my book, with a fire burning in the fireplace off in the distance. Of course I turned one page before I nodded off.

Paul woke me up when he got home from work and once I was ungroggy (if that isn't a word I claim it to describe that slow process of truly waking from a deep and satisfying nap) I whipped up the salad. I debated throwing all the ingredients in a bowl and just serving it that way but decided to make a composed salad.

Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

1 pound small or medium red or-yellow beets, scrubbed but-not peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive-oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
2-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted walnuts
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1-1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped into small but not fine pieces
1/4 cup pomegranate arils
4 cups mixed greens

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the beets and then slice the beets into thin rounds. Toss the slices well with the first measure of olive oil, salt, and thyme and spread them in one layer, with a little space between each, on the two baking sheets. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, swapping the pans to opposite racks halfway through.

Measure walnut oil, second measure of olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest, lemon zest, finely chopped walnuts, second measure of thyme leaves, dry mustard, second measure of salt, and pepper into a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Screw on the lid and shake the contents vigorously.

Arrange equal portions of the roasted beet slices in one layer on four salad plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the vinaigrette over the beets. Sprinkle the goat cheese over each plate of beets. Sprinkle all but 1 tablespoon of the walnuts over each of the four plates as well. Place the mixed greens in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the greens and toss lightly. Arrange 1/ of the greens in a mound centered on top of the beets Sprinkle the pomegranate arils and remaining walnuts over each salad and serve right away.