Radishes and beets. Roast them and they look almost almost like the most beautiful flower petals—so delicate, so colorful, and obviously so tasty, too. I toss the roots with spinach and pistachios for a hearty salad that can easily do you right for dinner (even better—it can be made ahead; see Step 2). The warm and gingery honey vinaigrette adds a hint of savory sweetness to the mix. Use any fresh herbs—in the singular or in combination—in this salad. I use whatever I have handy—you should do the same.
Ingredients
FOR THE ROOT “PETALS”
- 8 ounces radishes, tops and ends trimmed, radishes
- halved (or quartered if large)
- 3 medium-size carrots, tops and ends trimmed, carrots
- halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into thirds on a diagonal
- 1 pound small beets, tops and ends trimmed, beets
- halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced lengthwise into
- long half-moons (I like a combination of red and yellow beets)
- 0.125 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 medium-size red onion, halved and thinly sliced
FOR THE SALAD
- 0.76 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 0.125 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.125 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach or roughly chopped large
- spinach leaves
- 0.125 cup roughly chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, cilantro, dill, mint, fennel fronds, parsley, marjoram, or tarragon)
- ½ cup toasted, salted shelled pistachios
How to Make It
- 1. To roast the root “petals”: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F.
- 2. Toss the radishes, carrots, and yellow beets, if using, with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Turn them out onto a rimmed sheet pan and push them to one side. Add the red beets and red onion to the bowl and toss with the remaining olive oil and salt. Place them on the other side of the pan. (You can create a border by folding a sheet of aluminum foil and wedging it between the edges of the sheet pan crosswise to create two distinct sections; this helps keep the red beets from bleeding into the other vegetables.) Roast until browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Shake the pan, and flip the vegetables with a spatula, taking care to keep the red beets separated from the other vegetables. Continue to roast until tender, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside. (The roasted roots will keep at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a warm oven until they lose their chill, 10 minutes, before proceeding.)
- 3. To make the salad: Place the olive oil in a small pan with the ginger and coriander and cook over medium heat until the ginger is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the honey and cook for 20 seconds more. Turn off the heat and pour the honey mixture into a large bowl. Whisk in the sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper until the dressing is creamy, about 10 seconds. Pour half the vinaigrette into a small bowl and set aside. To the remaining vinaigrette in the bowl add the spinach and herbs and toss to combine.
- 4. Arrange the dressed greens on a platter and scatter the roasted vegetables over the top. Drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette, sprinkle with pistachios, and serve.
