Dandelion Salad With Beets, Bacon and Goat Cheese Toasts

Name: Dandelion Salad With Beets, Bacon and Goat Cheese Toasts
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt; 2 teaspoons grated ginger; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; Salt and ground black pepper; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for goat cheese toasts; 6 medium beets, cooked and peeled (see note); 6 ounces bacon, cut into 1/4-inch-thick lardons; 6 baguette slices; 6 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 1/2-inch rounds; 6 ounces dandelion greens, trimmed, washed and dried; 3 8-minute hard-cooked eggs, peeled, quartered and lightly seasoned

By David Tanis

Total Time: 20 minutes, plus time to cook beets
Rating: 4(57)
Comments: Read comments

Tender dandelion leaves make a sensational salad. This one is modeled after a classic Paris bistro salad, but the vinaigrette has fresh ginger and lime juice to stand up to dandelions' faintly bitter flavor. It still tastes very French, as do the goat cheese toasts.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

2garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt
2teaspoons grated ginger
2tablespoons lime juice
1tablespoon sherry vinegar
2tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for goat cheese toasts
6medium beets, cooked and peeled (see note)
6ounces bacon, cut into ¼-inch-thick lardons
6baguette slices
6ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into ½-inch rounds
6ounces dandelion greens, trimmed, washed and dried
38-minute hard-cooked eggs, peeled, quartered and lightly seasoned

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, lime juice, sherry vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2
Cut the beets into ¾-inch wedges. Put them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss to coat well. Set aside for at least 10 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Step 3
Put a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lardons and let them begin to brown and sizzle, then reduce heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or so, until lardons are barely crisp and lightly browned. Remove lardons from pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
Step 4
Paint baguette slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and top each with a slice of goat cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or so until bread is toasted and cheese has softened slightly. Put dandelion greens in a large shallow bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat. Add up to 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette and toss to coat leaves well. Divide dressed leaves among 6 plates.
Step 5
Garnish each plate with beets, bacon, hard-cooked eggs and goat cheese toast. Alternatively, serve family style with garnishes scattered over the top of the salad.

Tip

The beets can be cooked and peeled up to 2 days ahead. Put them in a low-sided baking dish in one layer (cut them in half vertically if very large), add 1 or 2 cups water and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife. (Alternatively, simmer beets on the stovetop.) Remove and let cool slightly, but peel while still warm — the skins should slip right off with gentle pressure. If you are going to use them right away, cut them in wedges and dress with vinaigrette. Otherwise, wrap well and refrigerate.

Ratings

4 out of 5

57 user ratings

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Comments

Jen in Astoria7 years ago

You don't need a fancy supermarket; dandelion greens are affordable in most Greek or Chinese greenmarkets/stores.

bluetomatoes7 years ago

consider soaking the dandelions in cold water for 10-20 minutes to reduce their bitterness first. Also removing the stems will make them taste less bitter. Further, try cooking for different periods of time to balance tenderness versus limpyness -- taste as you cook and decide when the greens are too limpy for your taste versus tender.

Whimsical4 months ago

I was short on time and used Trader Joe's packaged pre-cooked red beets and the recipe was still wonderful.

christiane2 years ago

Great vinegrette. I assume it’s supposed to be 2 teaspoons mustard not 2 tablespoons. At least that’s what I used. We used dandelion and tart apples.

Anne B4 years ago

This recipe—made exactly as specified—is lovely. But, the real star is the amazing dressing, which works on all sorts of salads.

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