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Caramelized Beets with Baby Chard Salad

This salad takes a bit of advance preparation, but is well worth the effort. There are various methods used to caramelize beets, but I prefer the one I'm describing here. Others add sugar, but beets are full of sugar (some are in fact used to produce refined sugar) and some add vinegar to glaze. This is simple and the dressing leaves nothing to be desired.

What you need

  1. 2 medium beets, any color
  2. 2 Tbl olive oil
  3. 1 whole head garlic (choose a head that is flat on the bottom and not too pointed on top)
  4. 4 oz. chevre, room temperature
  5. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  6. 1/2 cup olive oil
  7. 1 Tbl dijon mustard
  8. 1 Tbl honey
  9. Kosher salt & black pepper
  10. Baby chard leaves, cleaned and dried

How to make it

  1. Preheat oven to 400º
  2. Trim the top of the garlic head, just to expose the cloves inside
  3. Remove loose outer skin and any soil from the base/root end
  4. In a small ovenproof skilled, stabilize the trimmed head of garlic
  5. Drizzle 1/2 cup olive oil slowly over the garlic head, making sure to saturate each clove
  6. Roast in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until the garlic is nicely caramelized on the tops of the cloves and very soft
  7. While garlic is roasting, trim the ends of the beets, and peel
  8. Slice into 1/4 inch slices
  9. In a medium skillet over moderately high heat, sauté beets one side at a time in a single layer until nicely caramelized on both sides
  10. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil
  11. When garlic is soft, remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly
  12. When garlic has cooled enough to handle, squeeze from the base of the head to extract all of the roasted garlic into a bowl
  13. Mash the garlic gently with a fork
  14. Add cider vinegar, dijon mustard and honey and whisk to combine
  15. Slowly drizzle in the reserved olive oil from roasting the garlic, whisking constantly
  16. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional vinegar, salt & pepper to taste
  17. In a bowl, combine chard leaves and about 1/2 the dressing - toss to coat
  18. Place dressed chard leaves on a plate and arrange 3-4 beet slices over the top
  19. Add one ounce softened goat cheese to each plate
  20. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the cheese and beets and around the edge of the plates

Here in Sonoma County I can grow chard year round, so I always have baby chard leaves on hand. You could substitute fresh spinach if you can't find chard, or use baby beet greens or whatever is fresh in season.

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