Irish Root Salad with Spinach, Sharp White Cheddar, and Bacon-Mustard Vinaigrette

We had a similar salad to this Irish root salad with spinach, sharp white cheddar, and bacon-mustard vinaigrette in a small Irish pub in Idaho that I loved and wanted to make at home. I roasted some small golden beets then tossed them on a bed of spinach and arugula along with some radish slices, red onion, bacon crumbles, and sharp white cheddar. The salad was a big hit with everyone but my son who is anti-salad these days. My daughter, husband, and I thought it was delicious and went back for seconds. I loved the combination of colors, textures, and flavors and the bacon-mustard vinaigrette made it over the top delicious.

How to Make an Irish Root Salad with Spinach, Sharp White Cheddar, and Bacon-Mustard Vinaigrette

Make the bacon-mustard vinaigrette – click here for the recipe. Set aside to allow flavors to mingle and reserve the bacon bits for a salad topping.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wrap the mini golden beets in tin foil then drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Place into the oven and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until tender when poked with a knife.

Remove the roasted beets from the oven then unwrap the foil and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Peel the beets with a small sharp knife. Slice each beet thinly.

Place the arugula/spinach mix in a large serving bowl then arrange with the sliced beets, radish slices, carrot slices, red onion, bacon bits, and sharp white cheddar on top. Drizzle with bacon-mustard vinaigrette, to taste and season with freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy.