Roasted Beets, Avocado, and Sunflower Seeds

?he ?e??eroncini and sun?lower seeds ma?e this li?e a “salad bar” salad, though the similarity sto?s there. I always use beet to?s, in the same way I li?e to use radish to?s (?rovided they’re in good sha?e). I give them a quic? sauté and a brie? marination, then toss them into the dish.

Uh-oh! We're unable to calculate nutrition for this recipe because some ingredients aren't recognized.

Step 1

Heat the oven to 3?5°F. ?rim the to?s and bottoms o?? the beets. Wash the greens and s?in dry in a salad s?inner. Rinse and scrub the beets to remove any mud or grit. Cut u? any larger beets so that they are all about the same si?e. Put the beets in a ba?ing dish that’s large enough to accommodate all o? them in a single layer. Season with salt, then ?our ¼ cu? water into the dish. Cover tightly with ?oil and steam-roast until the beets are tender when ?ierced with a ?ni?e. De?ending on the si?e, density, and age o? the beets, this could ta?e between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Meanwhile, i? you have beet greens to coo?, heat a medium s?illet over medium heat. Add a glug o? olive oil, add the beet greens, and toss them until they are wilted and a bit stewed, about 5 minutes. Set aside until cool, then cho? through them a ?ew times. When the beets are tender, let them cool until you can handle them, then rub or ?are away the s?ins. Cut into ½-inch wedges or chun?s and ?ile into a bowl. Add the greens. While the beets are still warm, s?rin?le with the vinegar, ½ teas?oon salt, and many twists o? blac? ?e??er. ?oss to distribute the seasonings and let the beets absorb the vinegar ?or a ?ew minutes. Add a healthy glug o? olive oil and toss again. Let the beets sit at room tem?erature until you’re ready to serve. ?o assemble ?or serving, add the sun?lower seeds, ?arsley, scallions, and ?ic?led ?e??ers and toss gently. Peel the avocados and cut them into neat chun?s that are about the same si?e as the beet wedges, and add them to the beets, too. ?oss thoroughly but very gently, so you don’t mash the avocado too much. ?aste and ad?ust with more salt, blac? ?e??er, vinegar, or oil. Serve right away. In the kitchen Always dress cooked roots and potatoes while they’re still warm. The acidic ingredients will be absorbed more deeply, making your final dish nicely bright.