Roasted Golden Beet and Goat Cheese Pizza

I really love golden beets, but they are often difficult to find. When the Farmer's Market is in season, I refer to them as the "Holy Grail". I search each vendor for them, and do a small dance of joy when I find them. 

So, I was ecstatic, (albeit a bit embarrassed after my dance in the aisle) to find them at the Linden Hills Co-op! Then came the decision about how to use them. I love them grilled, but the weather was bad, so I ended up roasting them in the oven, and putting them on top of a pizza for dinner. I often see the combination of beets and goat cheese in salads at restaurants, so it made perfect sense to put it on top of my pizza. 

We paired this with a beer from 3 Floyds Brewery in Munster, Indiana. We do this once a month on our anniversary, to celebrate the gift of 12 of the beers from our friends, JT and Soraya. This month was Blackheart, an English Pale Ale, and the bitterness of the beer was a nice offset to the sweetness of the beets. 

Roasted Golden Beet and Goat Cheese Pizza 

For the pizza crust: 

(enough for two thin crusts)

1/2 teaspoon yeast 

3/4 cup water 

2 cups flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Warm the water in the microwave until just above room temperature. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together salt and flour. Make a well in the middle, and add water/yeast mixture. Work in flour until dough comes together into a ball. Turn out onto counter, and knead until smooth. Separate into two balls. Place one dough ball on parchment paper and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. 

For the toppings: 

4 small golden beets, grilled or roasted, peeled and sliced 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 

2 ounces grated parmesan cheese 

1 handful watercress 

1 handful sunflower sprouts 

Salt and peppper to taste 

Preheat oven to 500. Spread olive oil on crust, and scatter minced garlic evenly on pizza. Layer beet slices, goat cheese, parmesan, salt and pepper on top. Bake 10-12 minutes until  crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Top with watercress and sunflower sprouts.