Steve Corry loves to toss roasted beets with the complex sherry vinegar that Taylor Griffin imports from Spain. To help mellow the vinegars tang, Corry reduces tangerine juice to a syrup and adds it to the dressing. Inspired by peanut brittle, he candies marcona almonds to give the salad crunch. The nuts are fantastic on their own.
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large baking dish, toss the beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut them into 1/2-inch wedges.
Meanwhile, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper. In a medium saucepan, combine the 1 tablespoon of butter with the sugar, corn syrup and a pinch each of salt and cayenne and bring to a boil, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Add the almonds and stir until evenly coated with the syrup. Scrape the almonds onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer. Bake with the beets for about 12 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let the nuts cool for about 25 minutes, then break into small clusters.
