This salad is a variation on my Beet and Orange recipe, except I use only golden beets, sliced thin and laid out carpaccio style. Roast and prepare the beets the same way, except in this recipe, you will cut the beets using a mandoline. An excellent salad to serve at a sit-down dinner party. You can adjust some components to your guests’ preference which is a very Generous Host thing to do!
Golden Beet Carpaccio
This salad is eaten first with the eyes and then with the mouth. There are bright colors and flavors - bitter, sweet, salty, and sour - with the drama of the “carpaccio” style layering of the beet on the plate. You can add and subtract ingredients accordingly.
Ingredients
- 3 oven roasted cooled golden beets
- cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- radicchio leaves
- dried cranberries
- blue cheese or goat cheese – optional
- orange segments
- picked leaves from Italian flat-leaf parsley
- pecans halves
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine vinegar specialty food shops
- Reduced balsamic vinegar glaze
- Best quality finishing sea salt, (Maldon) to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Do ahead
- Slice the beets as thinly as possible and reserve until you are ready to assemble the salad. I use a mandolin – to ensure the best possible cut. However, Mandolins are the most dangerous thing in the kitchen, and you should only use one if you are wearing a cut-proof glove. If you can’t find one – then use some dishwashing gloves. Just don’t use the mandolin without some hand protection. It is not worth the risk.
Assemble the salad
- Lay the slices of beet on the plates in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping as you go around the plate. Place the radicchio leaves in the center, layer in the orange segments, halved cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, and sprinkle nuts, parsley, and blue cheese around the dish evenly and in the amounts you prefer. Drizzle with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and reduced balsamic, if you like. Then, sprinkle each plate with sea salt and ground black pepper.
- All ingredients are to taste. More or less of this or that. Be creative and have fun!