A refreshing yet hearty salad recipe made with roasted beets, baby greens, Feta cheese, and hazelnuts mixed in a simple vinaigrette.
- 1/2 lb assorted baby greens or baby spinach leaves
- 2-3 cups roasted beets peeled, cubed to 1/2 inch beets
- 1 cup feta cheese Blue cheese will work as well
- 2/3 cups chopped roasted hazelnuts
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp mustard
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 garlic clove peeled, pressed
- 100 ml olive oil
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You can buy pre-cooked beets or cook them yourself.
To cook by boiling -thoroughly wash beets without stems and place in a pot filled with water. Cook for about 1 - 2 hours or until a knife goes into the beet without resistance. Depending on how big the beets are, it might take more or less time. Let cool for about 10 minutes then peel the skin off.
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To roast in the oven - Wrap thoroughly washed beets in foil and bake in preheated to 375F oven, on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours or until a knife goes into the beet without resistance. Depending on how big the beets are, it might take more or less time. Let cool for about 10 minutes then peel the skin off.
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Completely cool before proceeding with the recipe.
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Cut beets to 1/2 inch cubes, you will need from 2-3 cups.
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Roast 2/3 cup of hazelnuts in a preheated to 350°F oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant and roasted, tossing every couple of minutes. Allow cooling.
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Once done, allow to cool, then rub the hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to remove the shell. Now pick out the peeled hazelnuts, leaving the shells behind. Roughly chop with a knife.
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To make the vinaigrette, you can make it two ways - with a whisk or a hand held blender. Both ways will make a vinaigrette, but with a whisk there's more chances that it will be runny, while with a hand blender it will be thicker and somewhat resemble a thinned out mayonnaise.
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To make it with a whisk - Mix together 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 pressed clove of garlic until smooth. Now slowly drizzle in the 100 ml of olive oil while continuously whisking.
The vinaigrette is ready and can be refrigerated until ready to use. If it separates, just whisk it before using it. Because different types of balsamic vinegar will produce different flavors, once you're done making your vinaigrette, taste it and adjust it to your liking. You might need to add some salt or vinegar.
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To make it with a hand blender - In a cup of a blender combine and pulse together 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of mustard, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and one clove of garlic until smooth. While keeping the blender submerged and running, start pouring the oil a little bit at a time until all 100 mls are used. Because different types of balsamic vinegar will produce different flavors, once you're done making your vinaigrette, taste it and adjust it to your liking. You might need to add some salt or vinegar. If you made your vinaigrette too thick, you can add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until desired consistency.
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Now just assemble all ingredients into a salad. Layer the greens, then beets, top with feta cheese and chopped nuts.
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At this point the salad can be refrigerated until ready to eat. Right before eating, drizzle enough dressing on top to your liking.