Beet and Blue Cheese Garden Salad

Oh the glories of stinky cheese. Took me thirty years to appreciate it, now I can't get enough.

I have enjoyed the 'Big Four'...Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Cabrales and while each one is different, each one has a certain place in certain recipes.

If you don't find that you like the really stinky cheese, try a Danish blue, it's a lighter style blue cheese.

When adding to a salad, I find that Gorgonzola works well.

Stilton is wonderful on a cheese board, Roquefort with fruit and Port (think poached pears) and Cabrales is super with a sangria.

The whole idea is to pair the cheese with an opposite. Gorgonzola is my choice to pair with beets, it is so creamy you can spread it 'like butta'. It is the perfect cheese for blue cheese dressing.

I like to buy the new Kifir Yogurt dressings, crumble the cheese in, add a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche, a squeeze of honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Toast up some walnut pieces, throw in some diced tomato, sliced radishes and start to assemble your salad.

I like to slice my greens in 1" strips and make a bed at the bottom of each plate.

I slice my roasted beets in 1/4" slices and shingle them down one side of the plate and top them with the walnut pieces. Arrange some tomato wedges in another corner and a garnish of radish in another. The Nudge loves hard boiled eggs, so that completed the last corner.

Top the whole thing with Gorgonzola crumbles and serve with the dressing on the side.

To roast beets:
Trim the greens to 1" of the beet, reserve for later.
A 12x12" piece of heavy duty foil, place washed beets in the center, sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and a spritz of olive oil.
Roast in a 350° oven for up to 1 hour, depending on the size of the beets. Small one will take 45 minutes, and large ones 1 hour. Let them cool but still warm, peel the skins off in a bowl of water and refrigerate. Slice right before serving.

Sprinkle plates with sea salt for its great crunch and freshly ground pepper.

A nice light salad for a hot summer meal.

Cook's Note: This was so good the first time, The Nudge asked for a do over, which I agreed it would make a wonderful supper tonight (94° is also a good reason).