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1
Preheat the oven to 400.
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2
Slice the greens off right at the top of the beets, reserving the stems and greens, then scrub the beets and poke each of them with a fork a few times.
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3
Put them all in a shallow baking dish, uncrowded, with 1/8 inch of water covering the bottom.
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4
Place the dish in the oven, uncovered.
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5
Roast the beetsthe water will actually steam them a bit firstuntil they are shriveled, dark, and caramelized outside, and tender all the way through (when poked with a knife), 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size.
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6
Let them cool.
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7
Meanwhile, rinse the beet greens well, trim off the tough parts of the stems, and cut the usable stem pieces from the leaves.
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8
Bring a big pan of water to the boil, drop in the stems, cook for about 10 minutes, then add the leaves.
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9
Cook for 20 minutes more, or until the stems are quite soft.
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10
Drain in a sieve; sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the hot greens, and let them cool.
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11
Peel the beets well, removing all the skin, the stem base, and the root tip, exposing the gleaming flesh.
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12
Cut in wedges, and place in a big mixing bowl.
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13
Cut the greens (both leaves and stems) in 2-inch lengths, and toss with the beet wedges.
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14
Whisk together the oil and vinegar, with the remaining salt and pepper.
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15
Drizzle the dressing over the beets, and toss.
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16
Cut the apple in half, remove the core, then slice the apple halves into thin matchstick pieces.
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17
Arrange the dressed beets on a serving platter, or portion on salad plates; fold in the apple pieces, then crumble goat cheese on top just before serving.
