Be sure to toast the hazelnuts until golden–they’ll give up a ton of toasty flavor if you take them to the edge. We like to give them a little love all on their own by tossing them with a bit of oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. That bit of special attention is the difference between a good salad and this great one. Cook, relax and enjoy!

What you’ll need:
2 oz hazelnuts
1 lb gold beets
1 shallot
3/4 cup red quinoa
1 Pink Lady apple
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 lemon
2 oz baby arugula
0.5 oz fresh parsley
1 oz gruyère

What you need:
olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:
rimmed baking sheet

Recipe steps:

1. Toast hazelnuts
   Preheat oven to 350°F. Place hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden and fragrant, 10–12 minutes. Roll hazelnuts between two paper towels to remove most of skin. Roughly chop and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

2. Roast beets
   Peel beets and cut into ½-inch wedges. Trim shallot, peel, and thinly slice. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss beets and shallots with 2 tablespoons oil; season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Increase oven to 425°F. Roast vegetables until golden and tender, 20–25 minutes.

3. Cook quinoa
   Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Combine quinoa, 1 ½ cups water and a pinch salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 20–25 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Marinate apples
   Cut sides from apple, leaving core behind. Thinly slice apple and place in a medium bowl with vinegar and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Halve lemon, squeeze half over apples, and toss to combine.

5. Combine
   When beets come out of oven, squeeze remaining half of lemon over top. Scrape beets and any pan juices into a large bowl, add quinoa and toss to combine. Pick parsley from stems and add leaves to apples along with arugula; toss to combine.

6. Plate
   Transfer quinoa and beets to a platter or plates and top with apple mixture. Shave gruyère over top with a peeler and top with hazelnuts and any hazelnut oil. Enjoy!