"Red Hot" Beet Salad with Goat Cheese Toasts

• HEALTHY
• MAKE-AHEAD
• VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

1. 8 medium beets (1 3/4 pounds), scrubbed
2. 1 cup pure maple syrup
3. 1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
4. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. 1 garlic clove, minced
7. Salt
8. Twelve 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices, toasted
9. 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (4 ounces)
10. 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
11. 4 heads Bibb lettuce (3 ounces each), leaves separated

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the beets to a plate and let cool, then peel and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid in the saucepan.
2. Add the maple syrup to the pan and boil over moderately high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the beets and cayenne and simmer over moderate heat until the beets are sweet and hot, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beets to a plate. Boil the cooking liquid until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Return the beets to the pan and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the beet syrup with the vinegar, olive oil and garlic and season with salt. Spread each toast with 2 teaspoons of goat cheese; sprinkle with poppy seeds.
4. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the beets and vinaigrette. Mound the salad on plates, set the goat cheese toasts alongside and serve.