Pugliese Beet Salad with Fresh Mint

(Dean & DeLuca)

In Puglia, restaurant meals always begin with more than a dozen vegetable dishes. Now, we're seeing salads like it at lots of new Italian restaurants in America. The flavor of beets and fresh mint together is simply sensational.

Cook Time:1 hours

Prep Time:20 min

Total Time:1 hours20 min

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds beets (weigh after removing roots and greens), unpeeled

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup shredded fresh mint

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook beets until fork tender, about 30 minutes for small beets. Remove from water and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slip off skins and cut beets into 1/4-inch slices. Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, coarse salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add beets and toss thoroughly. Gently fold mint into beets. Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.