Roasted Baby Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

This recipe is adapted from the Girl & The Fig cookbook.  Jason and I and two good friends had an amazing lunch at the Girl & the Fig while vacationing in Sonoma last February, and the cookbook appeared in my easter basket!

This is a great winter salad, although instead of the watercress it calls for, which we simply couldn't get our hands on, we used arugula, and some gorgeous yellow beets.  It was a lovely start to the meal and Jason plated it beautifully.

ROASTED BABY BEET AND BLOOD ORANGE SALAD WITH CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE

Makes 10 servings

6 large beets
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup champagne vinaigrette
3 blood oranges, segments only (supreme)
8 oz arugula (approximately)
salt and pepper
parmesan, thinly shaved

--Preheat oven to 350

--Place beets on top of tin foil, cover with the olive oil, fold the foil into packets and place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour

--Cool enough to handle, then peel off the skins and slice the beets into thin slices

--Toss the arugula with the champagne vinaigrette

--On the plate, lay down 2-3 overlapping slices of beet with a pinch of salt and pepper

--Lay 3-4 blood orange segments along the top of the plate

--Top the beets with a mound of arugula and garnish with the shaved cheese