Recipe: Roasted Beet and Spinach Salad

Let's go ahead and add beets to the list of things that I never in a million years thought that I would like even though I had never tried them (because I had never tried them).  WRONG.  Beets are amazing.  I love them for a few reasons: their earthy sweetness, their color (we really don't eat enough purple), and the way they can be transformed to fit many different types of dishes.  For this salad I roasted and sliced them and added them to a simple salad with a simple dressing.  It all comes together beautifully, and the beets could even be roasted a day before if you want them cold.

You will need:
~1 beet per person (directions for prep/roasting to follow) and latex gloves if desired
A good bit of spinach (2 handfuls per person)
Feta
Walnuts (or pecans)
2 tsp honey mustard
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Start by cleaning the beets in hot soapy water.  If you have them, you might wish to put on latex gloves and/or an apron, beets stain everything (and without being gross, they stain EVERYTHING, so depending on how much you eat, don't freak out later if you go to the bathroom, you are probably fine).  At this point you can choose to peel the beets if desired or you can leave the skin on and take it off after.
Cut off the root and top of the beet and place on aluminum foil.  Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Wrap and bake at 400 for an hour or until the beet(s) yields easily to a knife.  Take out and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.

If desired toss the nuts into the oven for 10 minutes to toast them.  Wash the spinach leaves and dry thoroughly.  Mix the honey mustard with equal parts of olive oil and mix together, adding in a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Slice or dice the warm beets and put on top of the spinach, add the feta, walnuts, and dressing to your liking.