Dungeness Crab Salad with Avocado, Beets, Creme Fraiche, and Lime

• 3 bunches small to medium beets
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, for juicing
• 1/4 cup finely diced shallots
• 3 tablespoons seeded, diced jalapenos
• 1/3 cup lime juice, plus a little extra for seasoning
• 1 Reed avocado, or 2 large Hass avocados
• 1 bunch watercress, cleaned, tough stems removed
• 3/4 pound picked-over steamed Dungeness crabmeat
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• A healthy pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Cut the leaves from the beets, leaving 1 inch of stem still attached.
3. (Save the greens for another dish.)
4. Clean the beets well, and toss them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt.
5. Place the beets in a roasting pan with a splash of water in the bottom.
6. Cover with foil, and roast 30 to 40 minutes, until tender when pierced.
7. (The roasting time will depend on the size and type of beet.)
8. When the beets are done, carefully remove the foil.
9. Let cool, and peel the beets by slipping off the skins with your fingers.
10. Cut the beets into 1/2-inch wedges.
11. Toss them in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
12. Taste for seasoning.
13. While the beets are in the oven, combine the shallots, jalapenos, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl, and let sit 5 minutes.
14. Whisk in 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil.
15. Taste for balance and seasoning.
16. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit, and peel.
17. Cut into 1/4-inch slices, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper.
18. Fan the avocado slices on one side of a chilled platter.
19. Place the beets on the other side, and arrange the watercress in the center.
20. Toss the crab gently with two-thirds of the jalapeno-lime vinaigrette, the parsley, and the cilantro in a large bowl.
21. Taste the crab, and season with more salt or lime if you like.
22. Pile the crab on the watercress, and top with the creme fraiche.
23. Sprinkle a little cracked black pepper over the creme fraiche, and drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the avocado.

beets, extravirgin olive oil, lemon, shallots, jalapenos, lime juice, avocado, crabmeat, flatleaf parsley, cilantro, creme fraiche, black pepper, kosher salt

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/dungeness-crab-salad-with-avocado-beets-creme-fraiche-and-lime-390879 (may not work)