Roasted Beets, Local Citrus and Goat Cheese Salad (from Redlands Conservancy Feasting on the Farm Event)

Many have asked for the beet salad recipe we served at the Feasting on the Farm Redlands Conservancy event... so here it is! Each time I prepare this recipe it is slightly different, so feel free to experiment with portions and ingredients.

1-2 bunches of fresh beets (use varying sizes and colors- yellow beets work well too!)
4-6 local oranges
Goat cheese
chives
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash beets thoroughly, remove greens and put aside. Slice beets into 1/4 " slices, leave skin on. Place in large mixing oil and coat each beet slice evenly with olive oil. Place beets in single layer on baking sheet and put in preheated oven. Roast for approx 20-30 minutes, depending upon thickness and size of beets. Larger beets may take closer to 40-45 minutes.You'll hear the beets 'hissing' which tells you they're cooking. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning. I usually check them 10-15 minutes into cooking and turn them all over. If you have 'hot spots' in your oven, rotate to ensure even cooking. When done, beets should be shiny and soft to the touch (but not burned!) After roasting, look for an even texture and color in each beet. While beets are roasting segment oranges into individual 'sections' and set aside. Leave two halves of one orange to squeeze over salad as dressing. Crumble or slice goat cheese and put aside. (Again, just eye ball it- I usually use 1/2- 3/4 tube of chevre goat cheese for this amount. But I LOVE goat cheese. If you prefer another kind of cheese, sub with feta. If you like more citrus, add it!!)Fine chop chives and set aside. Allow beets to cool. Combine beets, crumbled goat cheese, and orange segments into large mixing bowl. Squeeze both orange halves into bowl and coat beets with orange juice. Mix ingredients together and garnish with green chives. Note: For a more colorful presentation, you can 'layer' oranges and goat cheese (without mixing) on top of beets. As soon as you mix them up, you'll quickly loose the color contrast between the beets, goat cheese and oranges. Tasty either way, just something to remember for presentation. Enjoy!