Recipes
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep: 20 Minutes | Cook: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 3-6 each, Small to Medium Beets; both Red and Gold
- 4 ounces Laura Chenel Goat Cheese
- 4 ounces Arugula
- ¾ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as ¼ C, ¼ C, & ¼ C)
- Salt & Pepper as needed
- 1 C Dried Bing Cherries
- 1 C Whole Pecans (or nut of choice)
- 1 bunch of Chives
- ¾ C Banylus Vinegar (or pref’d sweet vinegar)
- ¼ C White wine
Preparation
Roasting Beets:
- Make sure beets are washed and trimmed on both ends. If using both red & gold beets, roast them in separate pans or they will bleed together. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place cleaned and separated beets in an appropriate sized roasting pan(s). Drizzle each set of beets with ¼ C olive oil, S&P, 2 TBL of white wine. Toss a bit, then cover with foil and roast of about 45 min. Remove and check for doneness with a fork. Once done, keep partially covered and allow to cool at room temp to touch.
- Once cooled and using a lintless kitchen towel and gloves (if u have), peel the beets using the towel between your fingers and the beet to “peel” roasted skin off, exposing roasted inside. Set beets aside and chill, till slicing and plating. Toss skin and pan drippings.
Toasting Pecans:
- In same 350F oven, place whole pecans on a parchemented sheet or cookie tray and roast for 5 – 10 minutes (shaking about half way through), until you can smell them. Remove and set aside to plate.
- Next; Chop Chives, Crumble Goat Cheese
- Slice Roasted Beets, ¼ to ½ inch thick, against the grain of the beet root
To Plate & Assemble Salads:
For each plate, arrange beets in a circle, midway around the plate, alternating colors as you go and leaving an area clear in the center of the plate for the arugula. About 6 – 8 beet slices per plate.
Add about one ounce of arugula to each plate. Sprinkle each plate with ¼ cup dried cherries. Sprinkle each plate with ¼ cup toasted pecans. Sprinkle each plate with goat cheese and chives. Lastly drizzle remaining ¼ cup of olive oil and Banylus Vinegar equally over each salad/plate. Season to taste and Bon Appetit!
Chef’s Notes:
I picked this pairing to go with the 2017 Fay Hillside, in that I wanted a light and refreshing dish to compliment the red fruit and lusciousness of the wine. The combination of the earthiness of the beets and pecans, paired with herbaceous chive & arugula, then finished with the sweet fruitiness of the cherries and Banylus really brings out the beauty in this Cabernet Sauvignon.
Feel free to switch out Walnuts, Almonds or Pistachio for the Pecans as alternates.
Banylus is a sweet French vinegar that you can find in most high-end grocery stores.
To add extra aroma and flavor to the beets while roasting, add a sprig of thyme or rosemary, or a small fresh bay leaf.