I’m thoroughly enjoying my slow reintroduction to cheese and dairy products. This week I decided that goat cheese would pair well with the beets I got from my mom’s garden. I was right. The tang of the goat cheese cut through the earthy sweetness of the beets and the crunch of toasted walnuts gave it that one other component it was missing.

4 large beets
2 oz goat cheese crumbles
3 Tbs toasted walnuts, chopped
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425*F. Scrub beets clean and trim the tops and bottoms. Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil and place beets on it. Drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the largest beets goes into it easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Peel the beets by rubbing the skins off (can be messy so do it over the baking dish or a cutting board you can’t stain pink). Dice the beets into a medium sized bowl. Add balsamic and salt. Stir well to coat the beets. Add goat cheese and toasted walnuts on top the beets before serving.