The Crossing's Fresh Beet Salad


beet salad
fresh beet salad photo by jonathan s. pollack

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.
– Katie O’Connor


Ingredients

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)



Preparation

• 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.



Tags : Beets