Beet and Kale Salad

This is another recipe from Boistfort Valley Farm. I made some changes from the original recipe. For example, it called for walnuts, but I don't have any on hand. Besides, they make my mouth hurt. (Weird, I know.) So I used almonds instead. Also, I couldn't quite figure out how much garlic the recipe was actually calling for. Was it really a whole bulb, and if so, how was I to lay it flat, and what was I supposed to do with it after I cooked it? So here's my version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
Beets, scrubbed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used 5 smallish beets, but more would've been fine)
Olive oil (a few tablespoons, divided)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic cloves, peeled (I used 6 cloves, but you could use way more)
Kale (I used maybe 6 stalks)
Almonds or walnuts, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 c.)
Balsamic vinegar (about 1/4 c.)
Crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the chopped beets in a large baking dish.* Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil along with some salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place the garlic cloves in with the beets. Bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the center ribs from the kale leaves, and compost them. Chop the leaves into smallish pieces. When the timer goes off for the beets and garlic, take the dish out of the oven. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside. Add the kale and nuts to the beets in the baking dish. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and add a bit more salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then put the dish back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. While that's baking, smash the garlic cloves (I used a fork) and combine them with the balsamic. Transfer the contents of the baking dish to a large bowl and let cool. Add the balsamic mixture to the bowl and toss to combine. Top with some crumbled feta. You can serve this chilled if you like.

*I initially used a 9x9" dish, and it wasn't big enough. I had to transfer everything to a 9x13" dish when I added the kale, and even that was a tight squeeze until the kale cooked down.

Comments:
This is absolutely delicious. Liam had two helpings. Annika ate all her beets and put everything else in her glass of water.