A classic salad by any other name

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This is my version of the classic beet, walnut, and goat cheese salad. Everyone I’ve served it to has loved it, and my kids even ask for seconds and thirds!

 

I haven’t included specific ingredient measurements. This is a very flexible recipe, and I encourage you to adapt measurements to your taste. Serving this dish in a glass bowl will highlight its layered colors and textures.

Beet Salad

Ingredients

Beets

Beet greens (can substitute spinach or chard)

Soft goat cheese (preferably chèvre)

Walnuts or pecans (shelled)

Brown sugar

Cooking oil (preferably olive)Instructions

Preheat oven to 400  degrees. Rinse beets under water, removing greens and any stringy roots.

Wrap beets in foil and place in preheated oven. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or until tender. (You’ll know the beets are done when a skewer easily pierces the largest beet to its center.)

Let beets cool until they can be handled. Remove foil and run beets under warm water to rinse away juices and help remove outer skins. Cut beets into roughly 1/2-inch dice.

Tip: Using beets of different colors will enhance your salad’s visual appeal.

 

While beets are roasting:

Wash greens and pat dry. Chop leaves and stalks into bite-sized pieces. Sauté in a lightly-oiled pan over medium-high heat until wilted/tender. Stalks take longer to cook, so cook these separately from the leave. Set cooked greens aside.

Tip: Rainbow chard can add even more color to your salad.

Add nuts and a little more oil to your pan. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and sauté until nuts are covered in sugar and their edges have just started to brown/blacken. Remove from heat. Assembly

Place diced, still-warm beets in the bottom of a serving bowl and crumble goat cheese on top.

Cover goat cheese with a layer of wilted greens and stalks, followed by a liberal sprinkling of candied nuts.

Serve and enjoy!

Optional: Saute strips of boneless chicken breast in mango chutney and distribute over top of salad. To keep the recipe kosher, replace the goat cheese with small dollops of non-dairy yogurt.