Bird’s Nest Salad

Halve the celery root and peel with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Cut into large chunks and shred by hand or in a food processor. You should have about four cups. Sprinkle with the vinegar and toss thoroughly, then add the rest of the ingredients - the dill, pepper, salt and olive oil - and toss once again. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

To roast uncooked beets, trim the leaf ends, coat with olive oil, and roast in a foil-lined pan at 450 degrees F for thirty minutes. Turn the beets and continue roasting, 15 - 30 minutes more, until pierced fairly easily with a fork. Remove and let cool. The skins should mainly slip off at this point, but might need a bit of help with a paring knife (if you don't want temporarily red fingers, use a glove and/or work under cool running water). The whole beets can be stored at this point, peeled or unpeeled, for several days.

Dice the beets, apple and celery. Toast the pecans in a dry pan or toaster oven for a minute or two and chop coarsely. Add to a bowl with the mayonnaise, mascarpone, and salt, and stir up well. To assemble the salad, make a nest out of the shredded celery root, sprinkle it with the crumbled blue cheese, and add a scoop of the beet mixture in the center. Garnish the beets with pepitas or sunflower seeds for a little extra crunch and serve with a good loaf of bread.

This study in contrasts makes a good vegetarian weeknight dinner. The beets can be done days ahead, but the celery should be shredded near meal time. Assembly is easy, and you can certainly sub in whatever cheeses or herbs you like. This would look cute as a duck in small doses on little plates, as an appetizer or side salad for six or eight.