New Potato and Golden Beet Salad

Oh, beets, how I love you. If you are in tune with the culinary world, you would know that beets are the new thing.  They are all over restaurant menus, and people are gobbling them up at exorbitant prices.  On our last vacation in Chicago, I must have had at least 3 beet salads -all perfect in their own way.  This is an easy simple recipe that is a new take on traditional potato salad – combining beets and potatoes, along with typical flavors of the middle east. Although this may not be a roasted beet salad drizzled with some fancy vinaigrette and topped with toasted hazelnuts, it is simple, nutritious, and pretty darn good.

New Potato and Golden Beet Salad
Prep/Cook Time: 35 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour

3 beets – yellow, red or a combination
3 potatoes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced/shaved
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tsp olive oil
salt
black pepper

(1) Remove the greens from the beets. In a small pot, boil the beets (as a whole) for approximately 20- 30 minutes – until fork tender.  In a separate pot, boil the potatoes for approximately 20 – 30 minutes, until fork tender.  You could presumably put these in the same pot, but the red beets will stain the potatoes red.  The yellow beets don’t change the color of the water as much.
(2) Rinse the cooked beets and potatoes with water, and peel.
(3) Cut the potatoes and beets into very thin slices.
(4) In a large bowl, toss with the parsley, red onion, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Use salt and pepper to taste.
(5) Chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.  The flavors intensify the longer it stays in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!