Roasted Beetroot, Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad
45 min · Easy
#autumn#light#salad#vegetarian
Sweet, earthy beetroot straight from a hot oven, still warm enough to soften the goat cheese into creamy pools. Toasted walnuts for crunch, peppery leaves for bite, honey and vinegar to tie it together. Looks like a restaurant starter, takes one tray.
Ingredientsfor 4 portions
- 6 medium beet Beets, peeled and cut into wedges
- 150 g Goat Cheese, crumbled
- 80 g Walnuts
- 100 g Arugula
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Thyme, leaves picked
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 0.5 tsp Black Pepper
Steps
- Heat the oven to 200 °C. Toss the beetroot wedges with some of the olive oil, the thyme, salt and pepper, and spread them out on a baking tray in a single layer — piled up they steam instead of roasting.
- Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once halfway, until the edges are caramelised and a knife slides into a wedge without resistance.
- Meanwhile toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking often, until they smell nutty and darken a shade. Tip them straight out of the pan or they'll keep cooking and turn bitter.
- Whisk the remaining olive oil with the red wine vinegar and honey and season to taste. It should be sharp enough to cut through the sweetness of the beets.
- Spread the arugula over a wide platter and pile the warm beetroot on top — the residual heat wilts the leaves just slightly, which is exactly what you want.
- Crumble over the goat cheese, scatter the walnuts, spoon the dressing across the whole platter and finish with cracked pepper. Serve while the beets are still warm.
