Chlada Bandjar

Description

Algerian beet salad

Ingredients

• 8 beets
• salt
• olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 °F (135 °C)
2. Trim off the tops, leaving about ¼" of stalk left, careful not to break the skins and wash the beets under cool water.
3. Place the beets on a sheet of foil, season with salt and drizzle with oil, wrap in foil, place on a baking sheet and place in the oven, cook for two hours or until beets are tender.
4. When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them with a sharp knife, slice into ¼" rounds.

Vinaigrette

1. An Algerian vinaigrette is basically 1 part vinegar or lemon juice and 3 or 4 parts olive oil.
2. Make as much vinaigrette as you like, just pour into a jar. You can add chopped herbs, minced garlic and minced shallots. If the beets you have are not so good and did not turn out as sweet as mine did, you can add a little sugar to the vinaigrette. In Algerian cooking sugar is still thought of as a spice like it was in Medieval cookery. Cover the beets with as much vinaigrette as you like. Salt can be added to salads at the table.