Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

Name: Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 700 g (1½ lb) beets, mixed colors if possible, about 5 medium, scrubbed, leaves trimmed; 1 tbsp olive oil, for roasting; 60 g (½ cup) walnuts; 1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar; 1 tsp honey; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 small shallot, finely chopped; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 80 g (3 cups) arugula, watercress or mixed bitter leaves; 120 g (4 oz) soft goat cheese, crumbled; 10 g (a small handful) dill or chives, chopped; fine sea salt and black pepper, about 4 g (⅔ tsp) salt

Sweet roasted beets, tangy cheese, toasted walnuts and a sharp dressing

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 1 h 30 min
Level: Easy

Beets roasted in a sealed foil parcel come out dense, sweet and easy to peel. Dressed while still warm with a sharp vinaigrette, then paired with creamy goat cheese, bitter leaves and toasted walnuts, they make a salad with every contrast covered.

Ingredients

700 gbeets, mixed colors if possible (1½ lb)about 5 medium, scrubbed, leaves trimmed
1 tbspolive oilfor roasting
60 gwalnuts (½ cup)
1 tbspsherry or red wine vinegar
1 tsphoney
1 tspDijon mustard
1small shallotfinely chopped
3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
80 garugula, watercress or mixed bitter leaves (3 cups)
120 gsoft goat cheese (4 oz)crumbled
10 gdill or chives (a small handful)chopped
fine sea salt and black pepperabout 4 g (⅔ tsp) salt

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk, tree nuts, mustard, sulphites
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Wrap the beets (grouped by color, so the red doesn't stain the golden) in foil parcels with the 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt.
Roast until a skewer slides into the center with no resistance, 50–70 minutes depending on size. 1 h
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts on a small tray in the same oven until fragrant and a shade darker, 6–8 minutes. Cool and roughly chop. 7 min
Whisk the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot and 2 g salt, then whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil.
When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub off the skins with a paper towel. Cut into wedges and toss while still warm with two-thirds of the dressing. Leave 10 minutes. 10 min
Toss the leaves with the remaining dressing and spread on a platter. Arrange the beets on top, scatter with goat cheese, walnuts and herbs, and finish with pepper.

Why it works

Roasting in a sealed foil parcel cooks the beets in their own steam, so they stay juicy, cook evenly and their skins loosen, and none of their sugar and color leaches into cooking water as it does when boiling. Warm beets absorb the vinaigrette deeply. Tart goat cheese and bitter leaves balance the beets' sweetness, and toasted nuts add crunch and a roasted note.

Common mistakes

Peeling beets raw: it's messy and slow. Roast first and the skins slip off.
Tossing everything together: red beets dye the cheese pink. Scatter the cheese last.
Undercooking: underdone beets are crunchy and earthy. Test the center.

Variations

With citrus: Add segments of 2 oranges and use orange juice in place of half the vinegar.
Nordic: Replace the goat cheese with crumbled aged Nordic cheese (such as Västerbotten) or feta, the walnuts with toasted hazelnuts, and add horseradish to the dressing.

Make ahead and storage

Roast and peel the beets up to 4 days ahead and keep in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and dress before serving.

Notes

Vacuum-packed cooked beets (not pickled) work in a hurry; warm them briefly before dressing.