Roasted Beet Salad

This was the first year I tried growing beets in the garden and for all my labor (admittedly not that much), I was rewarded with just enough for one salad. Variations of this recipe seem abundant on the Internet; here's how mine went.

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper
4 to 6 beets, trimmed and washed
1/3 cup sliced red onions
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon evaporated cane juice sugar
fresh salad leaves, trimmed, washed and dried
blue cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, toss walnuts, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool. Wrap beets in foil and place on baking tray; bake at 350 minutes for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender. Unwrap, cool; then scrub off skin before slicing. Toss in large bowl with onions and walnuts. Whisk together 6 tablespoons olive oil, the red wine vinegar salt, pepper and sugar. Pour over beets, toss well and let sit at least one hour. Just before serving, arrange beet mixture over salad greens and top with a bit of blue cheese.