I wanted to come up with a fun salad to highlight the first really successful beet harvest I’ve ever had, and I knew that beets go well with salty cheese. I love Greek feta cheese, so I decided to use it in this salad.

Another thing I know goes really well with beets is the herb lovage. It is a strong herb, a little like a cross between parsley and celery. For some reason beets can stand up to it. If you can’t find lovage, use the tops from a bunch of celery, or some flat-leafed parsley

Serves 4-6

• 8 Chiogga beets (or some other variety)
• 4-6 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
• 1-2 tablespoons of lovage
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of a lemon
• Black pepper
• Salt

1. Boil the beets in salty water for 30-40 minutes, until they are tender. Peel and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Toss the beets with some olive oil while they are still warm.
3. Add the remaining ingredients — except the salt — and toss gently to combine. If you are using dark beets, however, toss everything EXCEPT the beets together in a bowl, and then add the beets right before you serve this salad, folding them in gently at the end; this minimizes bleeding and makes your salad look better.
4. Taste the salad. It should not need extra salt, but add some if you want to. Serve at room temperature.

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