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Roasted Goat Cheese and Beet Salad

The roasted goat cheese complements the sweet and earthy flavor of the beets. Mint, lemon, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of honey bring together the beets and goat cheese to complete this delightful dish.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz goat cheese
  • 3 medium-sized beets
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 4-6 fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tsp  honey
  • 1 Zest of lemon
  • 1 lemon Juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Boil beets whole in salted water with ¼ cup red wine vinegar.
  • After 60-90 minutes, or when beets have been cooked through, remove the beets from the boiling liquid and set aside.
  • While the beets are still warm but cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut the peeled beets into bite-sized chunks.
  • Toss the cut beets with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and reserve in a bowl.
  • Preheat the oven to 475F.
  • Prepare a sheet tray with parchment paper.  Cook beets at this high heat for 6 minutes, then add your large pieces of goat cheese to the tray and allow goat cheese to roast in the oven with the beets for 2-3 minutes.
  • The purpose of this final cooking step is to add a little color to the beets and warm the goat cheese.
  • While the beets are finishing cooking in the oven, combine the zest of 1 lemon with the juice of 1 lemon, and mix in 2 tsp honey, and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Whisk in your 2 tbsp of olive oil, and reserve this vinaigrette.
  • Remove your beets and goat cheese from the oven, spoon carefully into four individual bowls, and drizzle the vinaigrette over each bowl.
  • Finish with finely sliced mint and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

Mint can bruise easily on the cutting board. It also browns quickly after being cut. The trick to getting a nice “chiffonade” cut on your mint lies in only allowing your knife to run through the leaf once. To do this, try stacking your mint leaves on top of one another, with the largest mint leaf on the bottom of the pile. Roll the leaves together tightly lengthwise, as if you are rolling a cigar. You can then slice this rolled up bundle of mint leaves widthwise, in tiny slivers.