Salad of Beet Root

Posted September 29, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

 

 

I’m a sucker for a good autumn salad. I’ll take hearty greens, roasted root veg, spiced nuts, soft cheese over a tomato-and-cucumber situation any day. Yet I’ve never had a chance to make one for the blog, so when I saw one mentioned in JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, I knew my time had come. Plus, I knew a beet salad would go perfectly with the other dishes I had planned for my Strange & Norrell menu—wigg buns with orange marmalade, a honeyed Cornish hen pot pie, and an opulent dessert I’m keeping secret for now. 😉

I added honey to my roasted beets to tie them in with both the pot pie entree and the vinaigrette I drizzled over the salad at the end (a honey Dijon variation on my go-to vinaigrette recipe). I wanted robust, earthy greens that would hold up to the deep flavor of the beets, so I used some kale and beet greens (never pass up a chance to use edible root veg greens in your salad—turnip greens are amazing too!). For salt and crunch, I included some bacon and toasted pine nuts.

An autumn salad craves soft cheese, so I went with goat cheese since it’s appropriate for the English countryside setting. Stilton would be even more appropriate, but I couldn’t get any. Up to this point, my salad is pretty much a standard beet salad, so I wanted something unusual to set it apart. Apricots were the answer to my prayer—sweet enough to brighten up all the other flavors, while rich enough not to get overpowered.

I ate this with my sister after I finished taking pictures, and we absolutely devoured it! In fact, she normally doesn’t like goat cheese, but she loved it here. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 🙂

 A

Salad of Beetroot

“They ordered a good dinner consisting of a turtle, three or four beefsteaks, some gravy made with the fat of a green goose, some lampreys, escalloped oysters, and a small salad of beet root.”

— Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • For the Salad
    • 4 medium beets
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp honey
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp pepper
    • 4 large kale greens, deveined
    • 2 large beet greens, deveined if needed
    • 6 sliced apricots, fresh or canned
    • 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
    • 1 lb chopped cooked bacon
    • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
      • To make, preheat oven to 325°. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together pine nuts, 1/2 tsp olive oil, and 1/8 tsp salt. Spread out on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Allow to cool on the pan. Transfer to a sealed container until ready to use.
  • For the Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
    • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp honey
    • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
    • 1/8 tsp salt
    • 1/8 tsp pepper

 

Makes 4 servings

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. TO ROAST THE BEETS. Preheat oven to 400°. Peel and slice the beets into 1/4-inch thick disks. Cut each disk in half. Toss them in a medium bowl with the olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper until well coated. Spread out evenly on a greased baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through. Allow to cool on the pan.
  2. TO ASSEMBLE THE SALAD. Wash and dry greens. Tear into bite-sized pieces and divide evenly between 4 serving plates. Layer on the apricot slices, prepared beets, goat cheese, bacon, and pine nuts.
  3. TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE. Combine all ingredients in a small sealed container (like a small Tupperware container). Shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Drizzle over salad to taste.
  4. Serve at your Yorkshire manor house between your magical studies.

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Check out my other salad recipes!

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