WINTER BEETS RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Cut slits in beets; place on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, peel beets and cut into wedges. Divide greens among salad plates; top with beets, oranges, fennel and hazelnuts. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Drizzle over salads.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat beets with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until tender. Cool beets slightly. Trim off beet roots and stems; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/2-inch-thick wedges.
• Bring juice and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; cook 10 minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Pour into a medium bowl; cool slightly. Add shallots, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
• Combine lettuce, watercress, and radicchio. Sprinkle lettuce mixture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss gently to combine. Arrange about 1 cup lettuce mixture on each of 8 salad plates. Divide beets evenly among salads. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon dressing over each salad; sprinkle each salad with 1 tablespoon cheese.
• Wine note: White wine is usually a good bet with salad, but the earthy and robust flavors in Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing allow this hearty course to handle a lighter red wine, such as Irony Monterey Pinot Noir 2006 ($16). The wine's berry fruit goes well with goat cheese, and its earthy mushroom flavors are enhanced by roasted beets, while tart acidity on the finish matches the citrus. --Jeffery Lindenmuth