09/08/2022
I really like this salad. I called it “fancy” because to me it just looks like something that’s a little extra special, not something you would eat on an everyday basis. It’s totally acceptable to serve to guests at your next dinner party.
Ingredient Checklist
6 - 8 small to medium beets (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup walnut halves
3 navel oranges
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 ounces fresh goat cheese (optional)
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Trim ends of beets. Divide beets between two 10-inch pieces of heavy foil. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon water. Fold foil over beets; fold ends to seal. Place packets on a large baking sheet. Roast until beets are tender and easily pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes. Carefully open packets to avoid the steam that escapes. When cool enough to handle, peel beets by rubbing them with a paper towel. Chop into cubes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
Step 3
Cut tops and bottoms off oranges. Cutting from top to bottom, use a small knife to cut off peel and pith from the sides. Working over a bowl to catch juice, cut between orange segments and membranes to release segments into the bowl. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to extract any remaining juice.
Step 4
For dressing, carefully pour juice from the bowl with orange segments into a separate bowl. (You should have about 3 tablespoons juice.) Whisk in vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified.
Step 5
Just before serving, gently combine beets, oranges, walnuts and parsley in a shallow bowl or platter. Add dressing and toss to combine. If desired, crumble goat cheese over salad.
