Baby beets salad
- 4 Servings
- 15mPrep Time
- 30mCook Time
- 45mReady In
An underrated root vegetable, fresh beets come in a colorful spectrum of jewel tones ranging from the familiar deep purple-red to pink to the distinctive candy-striped ‘Chioggia,’ as well as shades of orange and yellow. The variants taste much the same as the red ones, sweet and a little earthy.
Ingredients
Baby beets:
- 12 baby red beets
- 12 baby yellow beets
- 12 baby candy stripe beets
- Water
- 3 tablespoons salt
Goat cheese balls:
- 1 log goat cheese
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
Maple-sherry vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Salad:
- Salt to taste
- 24 pieces frisée
- 12 sprigs mache
- 16 thin slices radish
Directions
Cook the beets: Trim tops off all the beets, and wash thoroughly. Place the beets, each color separately into three pots. Cover each with water and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Boil until fork tender.
Drain the beets and chill. After each has cooled, peel each color separately, so not to bleed on each other. Cut in quarters and refrigerate separately until serving time.
Prepare the cheese balls: Take a piece of the goat cheese log, roll it into a ball. Lay the chopped walnuts on a small sheet pan. Roll the balled goat cheese in the walnuts, pressing so to stick the walnuts to the cheese. Store refrigerated, in a dry place.
Mix the maple-sherry vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients.
Assemble the salads: For each serving, place 2 goat cheese balls in the bottom of a serving dish.
For each serving, put 12 quarters of each kind of prepared beet in a bowl and season with salt. Toss with 1/2 tablespoon maple sherry vinaigrette, and place neatly around the goat cheese in the dish. Loosely cover the beets with the frisee. Garnish with the sprigs of mache and the radishes.
