beet watercress salad
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This is all about contrasts and separation.
Beets and goat cheese were made to be friends. Then apples and watercress balance each other out. Then a creamy-mustard-ey dressing completes the whole thing. There were a few other ingredients we edited out because the flavors just got too big and jumbled.
Best to keep the ingredients separate and let people assemble as much of the individual pieces as they want. My baby birdie goes heavy on the beets while the bigger birdies go for the apples.
Salad Components
3-4 beets, cooked, cooled, and diced
1-2 apples, cored and diced
Crumbled goat cheese
Fresh watercress, ideally the smaller shoots, but full-grown is fine too.
Finely cut fresh chives (optional but recommended)
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
Beets and goat cheese were made to be friends. Then apples and watercress balance each other out. Then a creamy-mustard-ey dressing completes the whole thing. There were a few other ingredients we edited out because the flavors just got too big and jumbled.
Best to keep the ingredients separate and let people assemble as much of the individual pieces as they want. My baby birdie goes heavy on the beets while the bigger birdies go for the apples.
Salad Components
3-4 beets, cooked, cooled, and diced
1-2 apples, cored and diced
Crumbled goat cheese
Fresh watercress, ideally the smaller shoots, but full-grown is fine too.
Finely cut fresh chives (optional but recommended)
Flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
My preferred method of cooking beets is to drizzle them lightly in olive oil, wrap them in foil and bake them til they are soft.
Dressing
3T red wine vinegar
A little Hawaiian salt (recipe says 1t, but this is too much)
1t Dijon mustard (or Gulden’s or plain ole’ French’s yellow in a pinch)
About 1-2 t brown sugar (definitely to taste, depending on what kind of mustard you use)
1T plain yogurt, sour cream or crème fraiche (optional if you don’t have it handy)
About 4-5T canola oil for consistency
Arrange all salad components in separate bowls. While this does make a few more dishes, it ensures that the beets don't bleed over all the other salad ingredients, particularly if there are leftovers.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together, and add the oil at the end til the end. 5T will seem like a lot, but depending on the kind of mustard and dairy item you use, this makes for a thicker dressing.
To serve, put watercress in an individual salad bowl or your own plate first. Add apples, beets, goat cheese and then drizzle the dressing over everything. Repeat if you want seconds.
NOTES:
1. Original recipe included shaved fennel, but I skipped it
2. Original recipe also specified Roquefort cheese, which I subbed out for the milder goat.
Dressing
3T red wine vinegar
A little Hawaiian salt (recipe says 1t, but this is too much)
1t Dijon mustard (or Gulden’s or plain ole’ French’s yellow in a pinch)
About 1-2 t brown sugar (definitely to taste, depending on what kind of mustard you use)
1T plain yogurt, sour cream or crème fraiche (optional if you don’t have it handy)
About 4-5T canola oil for consistency
Arrange all salad components in separate bowls. While this does make a few more dishes, it ensures that the beets don't bleed over all the other salad ingredients, particularly if there are leftovers.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together, and add the oil at the end til the end. 5T will seem like a lot, but depending on the kind of mustard and dairy item you use, this makes for a thicker dressing.
To serve, put watercress in an individual salad bowl or your own plate first. Add apples, beets, goat cheese and then drizzle the dressing over everything. Repeat if you want seconds.
NOTES:
1. Original recipe included shaved fennel, but I skipped it
2. Original recipe also specified Roquefort cheese, which I subbed out for the milder goat.