several people have noted that this is an extremely festive salad, so putting out a simple little recipe in case you want to recreate it for any festivities! or to eat alone in your kitchen. like me.
i’ve been very into roasted beets and radicchio lately. usually i serve roasted beets as one of several elements in the salad – this time i wanted them to take ~center stage~ and basically just eat a lot of beets. with goat cheese. and dill. and pomegranate seeds… and radicchio because it’s beautiful and gives it a bit more volume.
here’s the basic recipe in case you find yourself wanting to eat a lot of roasted beets in a very festive manner.
SALAD ELEMENTS
roasted beets
prep: i used two small-medium sized beets and sliced them about 1/8 – 1/4″ thick.
steps: line a baking sheet with parchment paper. heat oven to 400F. toss sliced beets with olive oil and kosher sea salt and then arrange so the slices aren’t touching (or they won’t roast very well!). then pop into the oven and cook for about 15 minutes before flipping them over. some of the thinner slices may be ready to pull of the sheet. i usually remove slices when they’ve started turning brown around the edges. then pop the cooking sheet with the flipped beets back into the oven and cook for about 5-10 more minutes, depending on the thickness of your slices. they may all cook at different times, so keep an eye on them! as tamar adler taught me, you can determine a roasted vegetable’s doneness by trying a piece, and when you grab for another piece… that means it’s done. if not, pop back into the oven for a few more minutes.
honey-balsamic vinaigrette
ingredients: 1 tbsp+ toasted walnut oil (or olive oil tbh), 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 shallot (minced), 1/2 – 1 tsp. dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, kosher sea salt, to taste.
combine all ingredients listed above, and adjust oil, vinegars, mustard, and honey until you find your desired preference! i dip lettuce leaves into the vinaigrette and take bites and adjust until i LOVE the flavor. then it’s good.
pomegranate seeds, as many as you want
dill, as much as you want
goat cheese, as much as you want
honey, as much as you want (but not too much!!)
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
- toss the radicchio and vinaigrette together using your hands to kinda-vigorously combine the two! make a bed of lettuce + vinaigrette on a plate or serving dish
- layer roasted beets on top of the radicchio, basically hiding the radicchio but not completely
- sprinkle as much goat cheese on the top as you like
- sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top, as many as you want
- tear dill from the stem using your hands and sprinkle on top of everything
- drizzle with honey
i think mint would have been an excellent addition as well, but i didn’t have any!! roasted walnuts would be great too (toss olive oil, kosher sea salt, and walnuts and roast at 350F for about 5-10 minutes, until beginning to brown and smelling good)
that’s it! happy holidays, and i hope you love this salad if you make it, or something like it!
cooking with leeks 