Roasted Beet Salad with Ricotta Cheese, Arugula, and Orange Vinaigrette

I love, love, love beets. Every time I taste one it's like a little surprise because I forget just how good they are until that first bite. This salad is great for the holidays because it's fun and different  and can easily be served family style, or plated individually for a party. I love the bite of the peppery arugula with the creamy ricotta, and of course the beets - tender, yummy, and drenched in orange vinaigrette... yum! This is a salad that I make with different variations all the time, sometimes I stack cylinders of beets in-between ricotta cheese for a fancy look or I just throw cubes of beets in with an arugula salad - either way, they're always delicious. This time I was inspired by a beet salad I had at the Copper Kitchen not too long ago that had pistachio on the top. It gave such a yummy, salty bite, so I sprinkled some on of top this salad just for extra crunch.

Ingredients

-serves 4-6 people  as a side-

5-6 large beets 

olive oil 

salt and pepper 

1 cup ricotta 

2 table spoons whipping cream 

Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

2-3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice 

salt+pepper

Start with the beets.  Cut the tops and bottoms off, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap each beet in foil and set on a sheet tray.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until tender. While the beets bake, mix your cup of ricotta with whipping cream and a good amount of salt and pepper, and set aside. When the beets come out of the oven, let cool for about 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle, and use a paper towel to rub the "skin" off the beets. Cut the beets into bite size pieces and set aside while you prepare the vinaigrette.

To start the vinaigrette, mix the olive oil, dijon, salt and pepper, apple cider vinegar and orange juice. Whisk well to emulsify and pour over beets (you will have more vinaigrette than you need). Let the beets marinate in the dressing for about 15 minutes before you put the salad together.

Lastly, put it all together. Smooth your ricotta mixture over the bottom of your serving dish or plate, then add a layer of arugula. Next, place your beets on top of the arugula. Sprinkle the beets with sea salt and finely chopped pistachios. You will have more vinaigrette than needed, so take the beets out of the vinaigrette with a slotted spoon instead of pouring it all over, because it could become too soggy. Serve immediately and enjoy!