Roasted Beets with Caramelized Shallots, Bacon, Radishes and Arugula

Here's my latest savory creation which highlights some of the best produce that's currently in season including arugula, beets, and radishes... plus bacon!  The bacon adds a fabulous element of salty smoky flavor to the sweet earthiness of the beets.  For this recipe I used golden beets and red beets.  The dressing is simple as can be (EVOO, S&P) in order to let the natural flavors of the various ingredients shine.

This dish pairs well with the 2008 Trinitas Mysterium, which you can check out here: http://www.trinitascellars.com/product/2008-Mysterium

Makes 4 side dish servings

 Ingredients:

•          6 medium sized beets in assorted colors, washed and dried
•          Olive Oil, as needed, for cooking
•          Kosher salt, as needed
•          3 slices bacon, thick cut
•          2 large shallots, thinly sliced
•          1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced into thin circles
•          3 cups arugula, loosely packed
•          Good quality Olive Oil, as needed, to dress the arugula

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut off the bottoms of the beets and place them on a sheet of foil that is long enough to wrap them in a bundle.  Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sprinkle them with 1 Tablespoon kosher salt.  Enclose the beets in the foil bundle, and place on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven.  Bake the beets until the tip of a knife easily pierces through one of the beets, about 45 minutes.  Remove the beets from the oven, unwrap them, and set them aside until they are cool to the touch
3. While the beets are baking, fry the bacon on a large sauté pan until the fat is rendered and the bacon is brown crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pan, and set aside to cool
4. If you want to kick up the bacon flavor of this dish, you can use the fat that remains in the pan to caramelize your shallots.  Otherwise, safely discard the bacon fat and add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the large sauté pan.  Over low heat, caramelize your shallots with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt until they are soft and golden brown.  Remove the pan from the heat
5. Once your beets have cooled, cut off the tops of the beats to expose the flesh.  Use an old kitchen towel or several paper towels to scrub the skins off the beets.
6. Cut each beet in half, and then into ¼ inch thick half moons
7. Add the beets and 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil to the large sauté pan.  Toss the beets to coat them in the shallots and oil

To Serve: Dress the arugula with a small amount of good quality olive oil and kosher salt.  Arrange the beets on top of the arugula and top with the sliced radishes.  Finally, crumble the bacon on top of the radishes and serve.