Feta cheese, pistachios add depth to beet salad

Growing up, the only beet I ever ate was a sickly sweet one straight from a can.

Naturally, I was apprehensive when I picked up my first Community Supported Agriculture bag more than a decade ago and discovered a bunch of gnarly-looking beets freshly dug from the dirt.

But by that point in my life I was lucky enough to have tasted a favorite go-to salad combination served by chefs at upscale restaurants: beets and goat cheese. It’s an inspired match, the tang of the cheese playing off of the sweet earthiness of the beets. But my Beet Salad With Pistachios and Feta goes one better, adding a handful of buttery pistachios to create a beautiful and flavorful dish.

Choose beets with a firm, smooth skin. If the greens are still attached they should be bright green. Remove the greens and wrap the beets loosely in a plastic bag before placing them in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator; you can storethem up to 3 weeks.

Beet Salad With Pistachios and Feta

3 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon white wine

vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons extra-virgin

olive oil 4 medium beets, peeled (see

note) 4 cups baby romaine 2 tablespoons pistachios 2 tablespoons feta cheese Whisk together orange juice, vinegar and honey. Drizzle olive oil into mixture and whisk until blended; set aside.

Place beets through the shredding blade of a food processor or grate using a box grater. Toss beets with half of dressing mixture.

Toss romaine with remaining dressing and divide among 4 salad plates. Top each plate with beets. Sprinkle with pistachios and feta cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Take care when working with beets; the juice will stain hands, clothing and even the kitchen sink.