Beet & Escarole Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese
Recipe by Katherine Deumling, Cook With What You Have. Paired with Bluebird Hill Cellars Red Blend and La Randonnée Wine Sauvignon Blanc as part of our November 2020 home-cooking recipe pairing.
The sweet earthy beets balance the strong, slightly bitter greens like escarole, radicchio, frisee or endive. The complexity of blue cheese and crunch of toasted nuts rounds it out.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Vinaigrette:
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons honey or sweetener of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 8 cups escarole (see headnote), washed, dried and cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 small to medium beets, washed and trimmed
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (about 10-15 minutes at 325 degrees until toasty smelling and a shade darker)
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion (or any onion or scallion)
- 3 ounces chevre or other fresh goat cheese, crumbled
INSTRUCTIONS
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Cover the beets with water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until tender. Drain, let cool and peel. Cut into medium dice or bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl.
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Shake vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid or whisk in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. You want it to be very bright, well salted and just a little sweet.
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Toss the beets with 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette.
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Put the remaining salad ingredients in a serving bowl and toss with about two-thirds of the remaining dressing. Taste and add more as needed. Scatter over the beets and serve. You can toss the beets in as well but they will color all the ingredients pink.
