Recipe: The Crossing's Beet Salad

In the 10 years since The Crossing opened its doors, plenty of dishes have come and gone from the menu, but the beet salad – an elegant, simple stunner – always remains. Chef and owner Jim Fiala’s take on this cool-weather classic pits sweet roasted beets against tangy goat cheese, adds pine nuts for crunch and greens for brightness, and harmonizes it all with a sweet-tangy sherry vinaigrette.

Beet Salad
Courtesy of The Crossing’s Jim Fiala

2 large gold beets
2 large red beets
3 shallots, peeled and diced, divided
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus a bit extra
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup goat cheese
½ cup mascarpone cheese
3 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted, divided
1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, divided
Salad greens of your choosing (microgreens or baby beet sprouts will work best)

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Individually wrap beets in aluminum foil with a pinch of salt inside, and bake for 1 hour or until hot in the center and fork tender.

• Make the vinaigrette: In a Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid or in a bowl, combine 1 shallot, the vinegar, olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Shake or whisk to combine.

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the goat cheese, mascarpone cheese, half of the pine nuts, half the parsley, 1 shallot, a few pinches of salt and black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

• When the beets are finished cooking, peel away the foil and let cool until you can handle them. Rub the skin off each beet with a paper towel. Dice the peeled beets into ¼-inch dice. 

• In a mixing bowl, combine the diced beets, 1 shallot, the rest of the parsley, the rest of the pine nuts and a pinch of salt. Dress the mix with the vinaigrette to taste, leaving a bit to dress the greens.

• Dress the greens with the vinaigrette to taste and a pinch of salt.

• In a tall ring mold, add a layer of gold beets to fill 1/3 of the mold. Add the goat cheese mix to fill the next 1/3 of the mold, and top with red beets to completely fill the mold. Remove the ring mold and top the salad with the greens.