Beet Salad with Honey-Lavender Dressing

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Photo: Mikkel Vang
Prep Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
3 hrs
Servings:
8

The familiar beet-and-goat-cheese salad gets a fresh, vibrant update with Swiss chard and yellow and candy-striped beets tossed in a sweet, tangy honey-lavender dressing. Use a mandoline or other adjustable-blade slicer (or a sharp chef's knife) to thinly slice the baby beets.

Ingredients

Beets

  • 6 medium beets (2 ¼ pounds total), preferably a mix of yellow and red

  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

  • Coarse salt

Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (1 cup)

  • cup honey

  • ½ teaspoon fresh lavender leaves

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 cup safflower oil

Salad

  • 2 bunches baby chard or 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound), stems removed, leaves torn into 1-inch pieces

  • ½ cup pecans (2 ounces), toasted and salted

  • 8 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

  • 2 baby Chioggia beets, scrubbed and thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Beets: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle medium beets with olive oil in a baking pan; season with salt. Place in a single layer and add 1 cup water. Cover with parchment, then foil, and roast until knife-tender, about 1 1/2 hours. When cool enough to handle, rub off peels with paper towels (use a paring knife for tough spots); discard. Cut beets into bite-size pieces.

  2. Dressing: Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over low. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add honey and lavender; simmer until lavender is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Puree with yolk, vinegar, and mustard in a blender or food processor until smooth. With machine running, slowly add safflower oil until combined. (If dressing is too thick, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time.)

  3. Salad: Combine roasted beets, chard, and pecans in a bowl. Lightly toss with 1/4 cup dressing. Place 1 tablespoon dressing on bottom of each plate, then add salad mixture and goat cheese, dividing evenly. Top with baby beets and serve, with remaining dressing on the side.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, June 2015

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