Despite staining nearly everything in sight bright fucshia, from countertops to fingertips, it’s easy working with beets. Here they are boiled and, once cooled, you’ll find the skin rubs right off. The back of a knife works well to remove the skin as well. The beets are tossed with equal parts red wine vinegar and walnut oil, sprinkled with walnuts and topped with crumbled cheese.

Beet and Roquefort Salad with Walnuts
6 to 8 portions

8 to 10 medium sized beets
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1/2 cup shelled walnut halves
1/4 pound imported Roquefort cheese (he’s not a big fan of blue, so used goat cheese here instead)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Wash beets well, and trim stems and roots without piercing the skin. (Don’t worry about trimming stem; you can just do that once beets are boiled.) Drop the beets into a large kettle of boiling salted water and cook until tender, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the beets. Drain, cool, and peel beets, and cut into julienne.

2. In a mixing bowl toss the beets gently with the vinegar and walnut oil. Taste and add more of either if you like; there should be just enough to coat the beets. Cover and chill until serving time.

3. To serve, toss the walnuts with the chilled beets and arrange in a shallow serving bowl. Allow to return to room temperature. Crumble the Roquefort evenly over the top and grind on black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.