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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
- 2 medium beets, any color
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 1 whole head garlic (choose a head that is flat on the bottom and not too
pointed on top)
- 4 oz. chevre, room temperature
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbl dijon mustard
- 1 Tbl honey
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Baby chard leaves, cleaned and dried
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 400º
- Trim the top of the garlic head, just to expose the cloves
inside
- Remove loose outer skin and any soil from the base/root end
- In a small ovenproof skilled, stabilize the trimmed head of garlic
- Drizzle 1/2 cup olive oil slowly over the garlic head, making sure to
saturate each clove
- Roast in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until the garlic
is nicely caramelized on the tops of the cloves and very soft
- While garlic is roasting, trim the ends of the beets, and peel
- Slice into 1/4 inch slices
- 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
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil
- When garlic is soft, remove from oven and set aside to cool
slightly
- When garlic has cooled enough to handle, squeeze from the base
of the head to extract all of the roasted garlic into a bowl
- Mash the garlic gently with a fork
- Add cider vinegar, dijon mustard and honey and whisk to combine
- Slowly drizzle in the reserved olive oil from roasting the
garlic, whisking constantly
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional vinegar, salt & pepper to taste
- In a bowl, combine chard leaves and about 1/2 the dressing -
toss to coat
- Place dressed chard leaves on a plate and arrange 3-4 beet slices over
the top
- Add one ounce softened goat cheese to each plate
- 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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