Roasted beet sandwich with arugula and goat cheese

Beets and goat cheese are a classic pairing so it’s no wonder this sandwich is nothing short of outrageous. Inspired by this week’s Grow Food newsletter from Botanical Interests, which featured one of my favorite vegetables— beets, this simplified gourmet feast is a beautiful homage to the early spring garden. Last week I featured arugula in a delicious arugula linguine recipé and knowing how well arugula and beets go together, it seemed perfectly acceptable to bring it back this week for a duet with the lovely and versatile beet.

The Botanical Interests newsletter featured four wonderful varieties of heirloom beets— Bull’s Blood, Detroit Dark Red, Early wonder, and Gourmet Blend beets. Now, I’m not a gardener, but I have been known to occasionally put a seed or two in the ground and see what miracles Mother Nature has to offer. Two of the three starring ingredients in this nourishing sandwich can be grown right in your own back yard. And if you happen have a milking goat on hand, you might just have a winning trifecta! As we transition into Spring, now would be a great time to think about planting (a.k.a “sowing”, as the real gardeners say) your beet seeds. Even though you’ll have to wait a little while for harvest, this wonderful Spring crop will be worth the wait, I promise.

Roasted beet sandwich with arugula and goat cheese

Makes two sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 to 4 fresh beets, roasted, peeled, and sliced
• 2 large handfuls of fresh arugula
• 4 slices (1/2-inch-thick) good quality, multi-grain bread slices
• 4 tablespoons soft goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• sea salt, to taste

Method

To prepare roasted beets

1. Remove stems and greens from beets, wash and pat dry (no need to peel the beets before roasting)
2. Wrap beets in foil, drizzle with small amount of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast whole beets at 400 degrees until beets are soft (30 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of beets. To test for doneness, spoke a beet with a toothpick— the toothpick should easily be inserted all the way to the center.
3. When cool enough to handle, gently rub the skins off the beets.

To assemble the sandwich