Beets

Here is a quick beet appetizer dish I made for myself not too long ago.
I started by roasting some beets in the oven, then shocking them to cool them.
Once cool, I peeled them, and sliced them into thin slices on the mandolin. I also roasted some cloves of garlic, which did not take nearly as long in the oven as the beets. Alternately this could be done as pan-roasted garlic, which will develop lots of surface flavor but perhaps not as much flavor penetrated throughout the garlic. 

I arranged the beet slices artistically on a rectangular plate. Then I placed a thin slice of gravalox in the center, topped with pickled onions, a gourmet soft cheese mixture, capers, and a sprig of dill, and garnished the beets with the roasted garlic cloves. 

This makes a light and tasty appetizer that is easy to put together, stunning, but also easy to prep in advance. It combines vegetables with some protein and cheese to satisfy any appetite until the main course comes.