Beet and Portabella Salad

This could also be called Bloody Salad. It was intense. I don't have any gloves, so after roasting the beets I had to get them in the sink and cut them with plastic grocery bags on my hands. There was red everywhere. But it was totally worth it.

I know beets really gross some people out, but I think that must be an association they have with them or something. Like how I hated Munster Cheeese because as a child I was watching Mr. Rogers while eating it and they showed a baby just after birth. Sorry. Beets are awesome. They go with all sorts of other tasty things too, like mushrooms, shallots, goat cheese, walnuts and balsalmic vinegar! Those are, coincidentally, the ingredients for this amazingly simple recipe. The only semi-difficult thing is roasting the beets.

Here's how:
Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Wash the beets off really well. Mine were literally covered in mud which was cool. Cut the leaves off leaving about two inches of the stem connected to the root. Lay out some tin foil. Put on the beets. Sprinkle olive oil on them. Wrap them up and stick them in the oven for about an hour. Pull them out, let them cool a little bit, and BEWARE. They are extremely messy. You will also need to roast the mushrooms (I used portabella even though I know that it is all the rage to NOT use these anymore. But I love their thickness.) for about 20 minutes at the same temperature so you can add them into the oven after about 40 minutes of beet cooking.

This has also remarkably lasted very well in my refridgerator for a few days now. I made a very simple oil, vinegar, and spicey mustard dressing that I add onto each serving so that the spinach doesn't get all wilty in the refridgerator.

mmm.