Fall Beet Salad

By stirfrei • August 31, 2011 • 3 Comments

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Author Notes: This recipe is the essence of fall. Beautiful beets and swiss chard are tied together with a light champagne vinegar and honey dressing and topped off with pecans and goat cheese. I created this recipe after an unfocused trip to the farmer's market, but the results were delicious. - stirfrei - stirfrei

Food52 Review: Stirfrei had me at beets and greens; add in caramelized onions and goat cheese and I swoon. Swiss chard and beets arrived in my CSA box last week so I was delighted to make this salad. Looking at the vinaigrette ingredients, it seemed like it was going to make quite a bit, so I scaled it down to make about 1 cup total. I used about 2/3 of it to dress the salad (and happily saved the rest for another salad). Let me just say, the flavors are divine together. Hearty greens, earthy beets, crunchy nuts, creamy cheese, sweet and tangy dressing ... it's got it all and is a lovely way to welcome fall. I heartily concur with stirfrei that an "unfocused trip to the farmer's market" yielded delicious results. - BlueKaleRoad - BlueKaleRoad

Serves 4-6

3 golden beets
3 red beets
1 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed, chopped
1 onion, julienne
1 shallot, minced
1 orange
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 cup champagne vinegar
3 cups olive oil + a little more for roasting the beets
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1/4 cup fresh goat cheese, such as chevre

Preheat oven to 400. Place beets in a roasting pan with wine, a little bit of water, and garlic cloves. Cover with aluminum foil and cook until tender, about one hour. Once beets are done cooking, remove from oven and peel skin off while still hot. Cut into small pieces and cool.
Caramelize onions in a saute pan over medium high heat. Cook until they are a golden brown color and add swiss chard. Continue cooking for about 4 - 5 minutes more, or until greens have wilted. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cool
To make the dressing, whisk orange juice, champagne vinegar, honey, thyme, and salt and pepper together. Slowly emulsify in the olive oil.
Before serving, mix the beets, onions and chard mixture, dressing, pecans, and goat cheese together. Serve at room temperature.