Beet Citrus Salad with Sesame Goat Cheese
I love beets. Most people do not. I feel like one of my purposes is to convince people that beets are in fact delicious orbs of vegetable heaven. That means pairing beets with naturally and popularly “yummy” things like oranges, goat cheese, sesame, honey, and lemon. The combination of beets, citrus, and goat cheese though is not necessarily new. So how do you make this combination interesting? I rely on a little warm goat cheese moment to provide the intrigue: coat the goat cheese in a sesame crust, give it a little sear, and use it as a protein-rich-creamy-fatty salad topping. The interplay of the warm goat cheese with the just-out-of-the-fridge citrus is truly heavenly. The beets are there as the foundation. So if this doesn’t convince you to t
2 servings
Ingredients
6 medium beets, tops cut off and washed
3 citrus
5 oz goat cheese (the kind that comes in a log form)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk or 1 egg beaten
1/2 cup sesame seeds or panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Juice from half a lemon
Honey, to taste
Pistachios, a handful
Flaky salt, to taste
Directions
Roast the beets: Preheat oven to 425F. Wrap the beats in aluminum foil, add to a baking sheet, and bake until a knife pierces through them easily, about 1 hour. Let cool completely (you can do this up to several days in advance, keeping the cooked beets in the refrigerator).
Make the sesame goat cheese: Meanwhile, slice the goat cheese into 1/2 inch thick rings (if they fall apart, just mush them back together). Coat in flour, then milk, then the sesame seeds. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a small pan and preheat over medium heat. Sear the goat cheese until golden on each side (you can also air-fry them). Remove them to a small plate and immediately season with flaky salt.
Assemble: When the beets are no longer hot, top and tail your citrus and then remove the rest of the skin. Slice them into rings. Then slice your beets (you can peel them if you’d like but no need). Arrange the beets and citrus on a large plate. Drizzle with 3 tbsp good olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, honey to taste, add a handle of pistachios, and top with the fried goat cheese. Scatter with plenty of flaky salt.
