Beet Fennel Grapefruit Sandwich

We are heading out to one of my most favourite places in Ontario this week: Killarney Park.  It will be a blissful five days of no phones, screens or contact with the outside world.  Packing food that will last in the wilderness without refrigeration is a wonderful challenge.  We usually try to eat as many veggies as we can the first few days as it gets tougher each day out to keep them fresh.

Our paddle into the wilderness will take about five hours.  These sandwiches will be enjoyed lakeside partway through that journey.  They also make a great workday lunch or picnic fare if you're not planning to be out in the wilderness anytime soon.  I've made these for road trips to hockey games in the middle of winter too.  You could substitute goat cheese for the feta if you prefer.  Either will provide the creamy salty texture to match the crunchy fennel and roasted beets.  The olive ciabatta bun was a great addition to the sandwich but feel free to use any crusty, chewy bun you can find.

Beet Fennel Grapefruit Sandwich

2 red beets

2 golden beets

1 small head fennel

1 shallot

1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

sea salt to taste

1 tsp honey

120g Greek feta

2 Tbsp fresh chives

2 tsp cream or milk

4 ciabatta buns with olives

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 400degrees. Roast the beets for 30-40min with a little water at the bottom of the pan.  Cool, peel and thinly slice.

While beets are roasting, thinly slice fennel and shallot using mandolin (if you have one) or knife.  Mix together grapefruit juice, olive oil, mustard, salt and honey.  Pour over fennel/shallots and allow to marinate 30min-2hrs. 

Smash the feta in a bowl.  Add milk/cream until feta becomes spreadable.  Toss chives into feta mixture and then spread onto buns.  Top with mixture of both golden and red beets, followed by the fennel slaw.  Enjoy!