I love beets (part 1)

I had a very yummy beet and goat cheese antipasto at the National Gallery of Art last week. Here's my take on it. (And by take I mean I didn't really succeed in recreating it, but the result was still pretty tasty.)

Wash your beets. They will have dirt on them ... they grow in the ground.

Cut off the stem at the top and any weird root-looking thing at the bottom. Don't worry about the rough woody outside, that comes off later. Keep the greens for part 2!

Rinse the beets again and place them on a large sheet of foil. Drizzle with oil and salt and throw in a slightly crushed garlic clove for some bonus flavor.

Fold the foil over and seal it tight. Keep that moisture in! Place packet on a rimmed baking sheet (in case there's leakage.) and bake in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes or so.

Once the beets cool, the skin will come off easily in your hands. Just pretend your taking apart one of those giant plastic eggs your mother's panty hose came in.

Cut 'em up in bite size pieces. In a big bowl add a small amount of lightly blanched diced onions a garlic; some mandarin oranges; and a little goat cheese.

Top with the juice of half an orange and just a bit of white wine vinegar and olive oil.

Ready to eat? Top with some fresh goat cheese, parsley and Fleur de sel.

So NYT minimalist dude says the goat has got to go, but to hell with him. OK, well he has a tiny bit of a point. Depending on the cheese, you could have a better pairing. But I still like the textures contrast between the firm  beets and the creamy cheese. Maybe throwing in some toasted walnuts would make this even better.