The key to enjoying beets, rather than letting them roll around in your refrigerator drawer, is to get the cooked. I like to either oven roast or sous vide (see notes). For oven roast: leaving the skin and root intact, scrub them clean and place in a glass pie plate or baking dish. Add water to about ¼-inch depth and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool to room temperature before putting the dish in the refrigerator for a day or three or four. When you’re ready, cut off the room and stem ends (don’t wear your favorite white t-shirt!), peel away the skin with a knife or vegetable peeler, and cut as you like—for the photographed serving, I did quarter-circles, but wedges or dice are nice too. Refrigerate again until ready to use.
For the salad, gather your favorite greens, goat cheese, and candied nuts to arrange with the bets. Drizzle each serving with dressing and finish with a sprinkle of flake salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Published in Edible Bozeman, Winter 2020. Photo by Samantha Lord.
Roasted Beet Salad with Honey Bourbon Dressing
makes ¾ cup dressing
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard Edmond Fallot
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- flake salt and freshly ground black pepper Maldon salt
For salad: roasted beets, greens, goat cheese, candied nuts
Instructions
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In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, combine shallot with vinegars and a pinch of salt and let stand 10 minutes—this mellows out the shallot.
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Whisk in bourbon, honey, and Dijon mustard, then slowly add olive oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly until emulsified.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- For sous vide: Trim off the roots and greens, wash and peel the beets. Place the beets in a sous vide bag (I kept the yellow beets separate from the red by using two bags) and drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil and a couple teaspoons of wine vinegar.
For bags, the FoodSaver vacuum sealer and bags work really well, but you can use a zip-lock freezer bag or silicone Stasher bag—just keep in mind that the bag's color will never be the same after your cook red beets in it. Heat the water with the Joule, add the beet bags, positioning them so that they are submerged, sometimes I use a clip attached to side of the pot, here's an image to help: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBWoUkxpOX2/. Cook at 185° for 2 hours (for 2-inch beets). Remove from water bath, let cool, and refrigerate until you are ready to make the salad.
