- 2 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
- Olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, rinsed, dried, and torn into pieces
- 2 navel oranges
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lay the beets on one half of a large piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt. Fold the foil in half to make a packet and roll the edges to seal. Lay on a baking sheet and roast until tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool. Peel the beets and slice into 1/2-inch-thick wedges.
- Keep the oven at 350°F; toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for a few minutes, 5 to 7, until they smell good. Remove the nuts and let them cool while you wash and dry the lettuce and tear it into a salad bowl.
- Zest one orange—you need 1 teaspoon grated zest. Using a very sharp knife, cut the ends from the oranges, slicing just deep enough to expose the flesh. Cut off the remaining peel and pith. Then, working over a bowl, remove the segments, cutting between the membrane. Place the segments in a strainer to drain off excess juice.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients—the shallot, fennel seeds, and lemon juice—in a small bowl, adding the oil last, whisking as you pour it in so the dressing emulsifies a bit. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Toss the nuts, beets, oranges, and the dressing with the salad, adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately.
- Teresa: “The oranges and beets are best tossed in at the last minute, when you dress the salad to serve it, lest the o‐juice and beety color run amok.”
- Teresa Parker is an expert on Catalonia and its cuisine, and runs culinary tours in Spain. She's a good friend of Merrill's and splits her time between New York City and Wellfleet, Massachusetts.