A FARM TO TABLE BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND WALNUTS

As I have mentioned in the past, I subscribe to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that delivers fresh produce to my house every week.  It is called Abundant Harvest Organics and you can read about it here.  So, every week I try to dream up recipes to use all the wonderful fresh produce I receive.  This week I was hosting a birthday party and I received fresh beets and butter lettuce in my basket.

So, I decided to use both the beets and the butter lettuce in a salad I prepared for the party.

It was a lovely evening.  In case you missed the blog post about the party you can find it here.

So, my first course was what I’m calling A Farm to Table Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts.  Here is how to make it……

Start by thoroughly washing 4 large red beets.  Remove the beet greens and save them as they are absolutely delicious simply sautéed in a little olive oil and dusted with some sea salt.

Cut off the tops and bottoms of the beets, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle them with some extra virgin olive oil.

Sprinkle the beets with kosher salt and grind some fresh pepper over them.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil and place them in the oven, preheated to 400° F.

Roast the beets until they are fork tender, about 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle.  Using nothing more than your hands, peel the skin right off the beets.  This will stain your hands so you will want to wash your hands immediately after peeling the beets.

Then cut the beets into 1/2 inch cubes.

Place the cubed beets in a medium size bowl and allow them to continue to cool. In the meantime, make the lemon dressing.  Simply place 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a mason jar.  Add 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt & pepper to taste.  Close the lid and give it a real good shaking to emulsify the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the beets……

then mix it all up, coating each piece of roasted beet.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill and marinate until you are ready to serve your salad.  This recipe can be made a day or even 2 ahead, which will allow the beets to soak up the delicious lemon dressing.

I have these tapered glasses that I often use when I want to serve something pretty.  They are great for serving this salad because they keep it all together so nicely and show off the red beets against the green lettuce and white cheese.  A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach!  I simply lined the glass with a leaf of butter lettuce and spooned in the beet salad along with a little bit of the lemon dressing.

To prepare the walnut goat cheese simply cut a log of cheese into 1 inch slices, enough slices to garnish the number of salads you are serving.  Roll the cheese in diced walnuts and place the walnut goat cheese rounds on top of each salad.  I was so busy serving the salad to my guests that I failed to take photos of this process.

Finally, serve the salad to your happy dinner guests.

So there you have it:  A Farm to Table Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts.

ENJOY!

Stay tuned and tomorrow I’ll be posting my recipe for a creamy, nutty and super versatile Spanish Romesco Sauce.

A FARM TO TABLE BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE & WALNUTS

 

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Roasted beets taste delicious dressed in lemon juice and olive oil and topped with tangy walnut encrusted goat cheese. And it looks beautiful too. Serve this salad at your next dinner party and really impress your guests.

Author: Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

• 4 Fresh Beets, Trimmed and Thoroughly Washed
• ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Plus Extra to Coat Beets Before Roasting
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• ¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
• 8 One Inch Slices of Soft Goat Cheese
• ⅓ Cup Diced Walnuts
• 8 Large Leaves Butter Lettuce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a low-sided baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place beets on the prepared baking sheets and coat with extra virgin olive oil.
4. Sprinkle beets with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. Bake for 1 hour until fork tender.
6. Remove beets from oven and cool enough to handle.
7. Using your fingers, peel the beets.
8. Cut beets into 1 inch cubes and place in a medium sized bowl.
9. Add lemon juice, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste to a mason jar.
10. Shake the jar to emulsify the dressing.
11. Pour dressing over beets and mix to combine.
12. Cover the bowl of beets with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
13. Line a wide mouthed glass with 1 large leaf of butter lettuce.
14. Spoon in beets, adding a little of the dressing too.
15. Roll slices of goat cheese in diced walnuts and place on top of beets.
16. ENJOY!

Notes

The beets may be made up to 2 days in advance. Mix them in the dressing and allow them to marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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