Chef Rob McDaniel shares one of his favorite winter salad recipes. With winter around the corner, root vegetables are plentiful. In this salad, we use baby beets, which are sweeter than the larger ones. We shave the radishes thin and finish the salad with walnuts and Belle Chevre goat cheese.
Beet and Radish Salad
- 25 roasted baby beets (red, golden and candy-striped)
- Selection of radishes (shaved) (watermelon, French Breakfast, cherry belle, black and lime radishes)
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 4 oz. Belle Chévre (Any fresh goat cheese can be substituted)
- 4 tbsp. orange vinaigrette (see recipe below)
- 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, picked and chopped
Season the radishes with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and chile and roast them in a covered roasting pan. The baby beets will take around 20-40 minutes, but after 20 minutes check them with a paring knife every 5 minutes. Use whichever baby beets you prefer or can find, but be sure to keep the red beets separated. When the beets have cooled, peel using a kitchen towel and quarter the beets. Using a mandolin shave the radishes into thin rounds and place them in a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes. After the radishes are shaved and beets quartered, it’s time to assemble the salad.
To assemble, mix the golden and candy-striped beets, shaved radishes and vinaigrette with parsley, season with salt and pepper and reserve. In a separate mixing bowl, season the red beets. Build the salad on a platter or serving plates and sprinkle with Belle Chévre and toasted pecans. Enjoy!
Serves 4
Recipe for Orange Vinaigrette
- Zest of 2 oranges, peeled and julienned
- Pulp of 1/2 a vanilla bean
- 1 tsp. minced shallots
- 6 sprigs of thyme (picked and chopped)
- 1/8 cup Champagne vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 arbol chile, chopped
Scrape the pulp from half a vanilla bean and place in a nonreactive mixing bowl. Using a peeler, peel the zest from an orange, being careful not to remove too much of the white. Julienne the zest and add it to the mixing bowl with the shallots, thyme, chile and vinegar. Let that macerate for 15 minutes. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, season to taste.
Photo and recipe provided by SpringHouse and Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Plan a visit to this Lake Martin favorite by visiting their website www.springhouseatcrossroads.com.
Read about our visit to SpringHouse here.
