Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to a boil. Add rye berries and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until grains are pleasantly tender but still have a little bite to them, about 45-60 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, roast the beets: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim beets. Rub with olive oil and place inside a tightly sealed foil pouch. Roast until the beets are tender, about 45-60 minutes. The time will depend on the size of your beets. Open the foil pouch and set aside to cool. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to help remove the skins from the beets. They should slide off quite easily. Slice the beets into circles or wedges.
Cover the shallots with vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk in honey, mustard and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the salad: Drizzle the beet slices with 1 teaspoon of vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup of the rye berries and the remaining vinaigrette in a large bowl (you may have some rye berries left over). Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula to the bowl. Toss and season to taste one last time. Transfer the dressed arugula and rye to a serving platter. Artfully nestle the beet slices in the salad. Place a large dollop of Creamy Herbed Skyr Sauce on the platter. Serve.
- Dress each component of the salad separately and then combine them. This gives the salad the best overall flavor and ensures that each ingredient gets a little hit of vinaigrette and salt and pepper.
- Artfully arrange the beets rather than tossing them in the salad. Once red beets come into contact with just about anything else, they leave a trail of red. To keep your salad looking clean and beautiful, simply nestle the beet slices into the already dressed rye berries and greens. You will get a much prettier final result.
- The beets, rye berries, vinaigrette and the Creamy Herbed Skyr Sauce can all be made up to a couple of days ahead of time. Store each ingredient separately, tightly sealed in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the salad.
- You can substitute wheat berries, pearl barley or farro for the rye berries. Just be sure to take into account their unique cooking times.
Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 482IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg