Roasted Beet Salad with Orange and Avocado

Ingredients

7-8 small fresh beets
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar or Cider Vinegar
¼ cup Messina Hof Orange Muscat Mistella
¼ cup orange juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado peeled, deseeded and cut into slices
2 oranges, segmented
1 handful toasted nuts of your choosing

Instructions

Trim the beet green from the top of the beets
(these can be cooked separately for a nutritious green)
Wash the beets well
Place in a roasting pan seasoned with salt and pepper
Drizzle with olive oil, pour a cup of water in the pan
Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour
(until a knife inserted in beet goes in smoothly)
Cool and peel the beets, cut them into quarters

For the vinaigrette

Whisk together all of the ingredients in the second section
Now arrange the beets, avocado and orange segments as you like on a plate
Drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with toasted nuts

Notes

Inspired by Executive Chef Chris Shepley of The Vintage House Restaurant features vineyard cuisine and locally grown fresh from the garden produce in his recipes. He conducts Cooking Parties with the Chef on the third Sunday of each month at Messina Hof Winery.