Marinated Beet Salad With Whipped Goat Cheese

Name: Marinated Beet Salad With Whipped Goat Cheese
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 8 to 10 medium-large beets (see note); 2 tablespoons minced shallots; 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste; 2 tablespoons rich, sweet vinegar like Barolo, balsamic or sherry; Salt and ground black pepper; 1/4 cup shelled nuts, like pistachios, walnuts or pecans (optional); 1 cup loosely packed whole herb leaves (like parsley, mint or cilantro) or 2 cups small salad greens (like baby spinach, baby arugula or mâche), or use a mixture or herbs and greens; 1/4 cup fresh goat cheese; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream; 1/2 teaspoon rice or white wine vinegar, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Recipe from Andrew Carmellini

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Marinated Beet Salad With Whipped Goat Cheese — Rikki Snyder for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour, plus cooling and marinating
Rating: 4(1,233)
Comments: Read comments

It's easy to make a pretty good beet salad, but this one makes the leap into greatness. After decades of kitchen experiments, the chef and beet maven Andrew Carmellini shared how to elevate both elements: marinate the beets, then season and whip the goat cheese. Feel free to cook the beets on a grill instead of in the oven if you've got a fire going. Young beets, juicy and tender enough to bite into, can be used instead of the thick-skinned, mature kind. But do not roast: Steam them just until tender. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Think Beet and Goat Cheese Salad is a Cliché? A New Recipe Proves It’s a Classic

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Beets

8 to 10medium-large beets (see note)
2tablespoons minced shallots
3tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
2tablespoons rich, sweet vinegar like Barolo, balsamic or sherry
Salt and ground black pepper
¼cup shelled nuts, like pistachios, walnuts or pecans (optional)
1cup loosely packed whole herb leaves (like parsley, mint or cilantro) or 2 cups small salad greens (like baby spinach, baby arugula or mâche), or use a mixture or herbs and greens

For the Goat Cheese

¼cup fresh goat cheese
1tablespoon olive oil
2tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
½teaspoon rice or white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
½teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
¼teaspoon salt, more to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the beets: Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Place a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips from the beets.
Step 2
Trim the greens, tops and stems from the beets. Wash thoroughly and wrap in aluminum foil packages, about 4 beets per package. Place the packages directly on the oven rack and bake until beets are easily pierced by a fork or knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on size. (No need to unwrap the beets to test them.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine shallots, oil, vinegar and a lavish sprinkling of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Step 4
Remove beets from oven and carefully open packages to let the steam escape. Let cool at least 20 minutes, or up to 4 hours.
Step 5
Unwrap beets and use a peeler or your fingers to remove any tough skin. Dice beets neatly into bite-size pieces. Add to bowl with shallot mixture, mix well and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Stir occasionally.
Step 6
Meanwhile, in a toaster oven or 350-degree oven, toast nuts until golden, about 5 minutes. If unsalted, sprinkle with salt. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
Step 7
Prepare the goat cheese: In a bowl, mix or whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Keep whipping until cheese is fluffy and soft. Taste and season with additional vinegar and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 8
To serve, pile beets on a serving platter or individual plates. Spoon remaining dressing over the top. Spoon dollops of goat cheese mixture on and around the beets, then tuck in herbs and/or greens. Sprinkle with nuts and serve immediately.

Tip

It's nice to use multicolored beets, but keep in mind that magenta beets will dye the others to match as soon as they are combined. The best solution is to use just a couple of colors, and marinate them separately until time to serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,233 user ratings

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Comments

famharris7 years ago

My family adores beets and as so I cook with them often but early beets on greens is our favorite go-to. I love the combination here with the vinegar and cream in the goat cheese; I usually just use it plain. And who doesn't love pistachios? You can speed this up by peeling the beets with a potato peeler before you roast them (also lessens the stains on your fingers) and if I'm in a real time crunch I'll dice them too and that cuts the roasting time in half. Enjoy!

Lori7 years ago

I am curious why others don't peel and slice the beets before roasting them. It's a bit messy, but the beets get a little caramelized, which is delicious.

A7 years ago

I roast beets often and it seems that 45-60 minutes is seldom sufficient. Just my experience.

Also, I find that Kenji Lopez-Alt's advice is helpful. He suggests making a pouch of foil, tucking in the beets, olive oil and herbs, and then roasting. The results are impressive.

Christin1 week ago

Great salad, I made it exactly as written and will make again. Such a nice hearty summer salad, can be used as a main or a side

kate2 months ago

add it to arugula/mixed greens!

Kailin3 months ago

Turned out delicious! The beets I had also included the stems and Leafy greens so I sautéed them separately before putting the foil wrapped beets in the oven for the directed 45-50mins. For the goat cheese whip I used plain greek yogurt instead of heavy cream which worked really well. If you opt for this substitution you might want to add a touch of sugar to balance out the tartness from the cheese yogurt.

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