And, just like that, Thanksgiving was over and the holidaze were upon us.
We had most of my in-laws for much of the turkey-based weekend, and, if I do say so myself, my food was pretty much a hit.
Desserts, always a safe bet, were a friend’s home made pumpkin pie (a classic!), along with Burnt Basque Cheesecake and Butterscotch Mousse; both really lovely, and gluten-free, so, bonus! And then, there was the salad…
This was a might bit risky, because, beets, but most folk really liked it.
INGREDIENTS
Roasted Beets:
•2 cans sliced beets, drained and rinsed
•Coarse sea salt
Creamy French Salad Dressing:
•1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
•1⁄2 cup ketchup (I like this spicy version)
•1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
•2 tbsp sugar
•1 small sweet onion, cut into wedges
•1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp Seasoned Pepper
•1 cup olive oil
Salad:
•Roasted Beets
•Thinly sliced red onion
•Chopped celery
•Salad greens
First things first, make the salad dressing by adding the onion, sugar, seasoned salt and pepper to your blender jar.
Top with the cider vinegar, ketchup, and mustard – adding ingredients in this order keeps the dry ingredients from spraying up along the sides of the jar while blending. Sure, you will be scraping down the sides of the jar anyway, but I like getting the seasonings well incorporated right from the get-go.
Blend until the onion is well and truly chopped and everything is nicely blended.
Scrape down the sides of the jar, then, with the blender running, slo-o-owly drizzle in the oil, allowing it to become completely emulsified in the dressing.
Note: you might not need the entire cup of oil. I ended up using about 7/8 of a cup this time; while in the past the dressing had absorbed the full amount. Watch your dressing in the blender and see how it is absorbing the oil.
You now have yourself a lovely, home made, creamy French dressing that is not only freshly made, but considerably lower in sugar than most bottled dressings and even a lot of other home made!
Transfer the dressing to a jar, cover tightly, and stash in the fridge until needed.
Note: this dressing is pretty terrific right away, but the flavor will develop and improve after resting for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Dressing made, let’s roast some beets!
Heat your oven to 350º.
Drain and rinse your beets, then pat dry.
Toss the beets with coarse sea salt, then arrange in a single layer in a baking pan.
Note: I used a rack, but you can just arrange them on a foil lined baking pan without the rack, if you prefer.
Bake for 20 to 35 minutes, until the beets are a deep, deep maroon, and greatly reduced in size.
Remove from the oven, let cool, then keep handy in a bowl or other container.
Note: I think that the beets are best if roasted and cooled just before you make the salad, but, they are also fine if you transfer the cooled beets to a covered container and stash in the fridge until needed.
Now, for the salad…
I used shredded Greenleaf lettuce and chopped Romaine, but feel free to use your own fave(s) – baby spinach works nicely here, too.
Toss the lettuce(s) together with the beets, red onion, and celery, then serve with the creamy French dressing.
Even if you don’t care for beets, I think you will like this salad.