Beet Caprese Salad

Every spring I start to crave Caprese Salad, but the tomatoes never ripen soon enough to satisfy this springtime craving. This year I found some gorgeous beets at the farmers market AND this awesome recipe for a Beet Caprese. It was simple, but delicious! And we had mint in the herb garden too! So we used mint instead of basil. Lets call it Caprese inspired....barely...but still delicious!

Roasted Beet Salad alla Caprese
Servings: about 4
adapted from: The Curvy Carrot

Rob and Hazel tasting my yummy salad!

Ingredients

For the beets:
4 medium beets, scrubbed, trimmed, and dried
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Zest of one grapefruit
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:
2 balls (4 to 6 ounces each) buffalo mozzarella
Sea salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, sliced thinly

Note: the original recipe called for basil, which I think would be delicious, but we didn't have any basil in the garden yet and the mint leaves have just started growing again, so we used mint instead.



Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Ready for mint!

2. Rub the beets with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and wrap each one tightly with aluminum foil, sealing it tightly.

3. Place the beets directly on the oven rack and roast until tender, about 50-60 minutes.  Let cool until you can handle them, about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.

4. Once cool enough to handle, peel or rub off the skins off each beet.  Cut the beets into 1/4-inch thick rounds.

5. For the dressing:  In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, grapefruit zest and juice, mustard, and olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Set the dressing aside at room temperature until serving time.

6. Slice the mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick slices and spread on a platter.

7. Drizzle the cheese some of the dressing and let sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.

8. Arrange the sliced beets, mozzarella, and oranges on each serving plate.  Season to taste with sea salt.  Top each salad with the fresh mint and drizzle with additional dressing, if desired.