Roots and Feta Salad

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: More than 15 Minutes Total Time: More than 1 hour
4 medium beets, washed
2-4 eggs, wash the shells (1 egg per person, depending on whether you are serving as an app or main)
4 medium potatoes, washed
1/2 lb green beans, washed, stem-end trimmed (24-32 beans)
8 oz prosciutto
2-3 oz pine nuts
1 shallot, finely minced (or 2 tbsp finely minced sweet onion, such as Vidalia or red)
4 tsp grain mustard
1 tsp honey
1/3 tsp kosher salt (1/4 tsp if using table salt)
Pepper to taste
5 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2-4 handfuls fresh salad greens of your choice, washed and spun dry
6-8 oz feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the whole beets in a saucepan of cold water, season with a little salt, bring to a boil and cook until tender – about 15 minutes. Plunge beets in ice water to chill, then peel them. In a separate large saucepan of cold, salted water, add potatoes and uncracked eggs and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes. Drop in the cleaned whole beans during the last 3-4 minutes, then drain everything and plunge in ice water to chill. Peel the eggs. Drain the beans and potatoes. You can leave the skin on the potatoes, or peel first if you prefer. Keep everything chilled. Meanwhile, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange prosciutto in a
single layer, leaving space between pieces. Place in the oven and bake at 400°F until crisp (5-10 min.). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Spread pine nuts on a baking tray. Toast 3-5 minutes at 400°F, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Watch them closely – they burn easily. Set aside to cool. Slice beets and potatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Quarter the eggs. Make the salad dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk shallots, mustard, honey, salt, pepper with 1 tbsp of vinegar. Begin drizzling in olive oil while whisking. After a moment or two, the dressing will begin to thicken. That’s when you alternately whisk in remaining vinegar with remaining oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Remember prosciutto and feta are salty, so don’t over season.)
Transfer most of the dressing to another container, but leave a little in the bowl. Toss the salad greens in the bowl with the bit of dressing. Transfer to serving plates. Arrange the vegetables artfully on top. Drizzle with additional dressing and a pinch of salt on the eggs. Crumble feta over top and garnish with pine nuts. Bon appétit!