Beet and Arugula Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Medallions
Farmers Market Love
This recipe is part of a weekly series here this summer about finds at the farmers market. I don’t know if there is a vegetable that I don’t love. I grew up in South Dakota with my mom taking care of a huge garden. It was the length of our backyard and maybe 20 feet wide. We helped to weed and harvest but my mom was the workhorse that kept that garden pristine.
The harvest was what we lived on all winter. She would freeze or can all of the veggies alongside my grandma Luella. Until I moved to New England, I thought that was how all families got their veggies. It was the early 80s and I don’t remember seeing farmers markets except in Boston. I would see road side stands but that was it.
Living in the Texas Hill Country, I am lucky to have numerous farmers markets available. A few are even open all year round. The one in Fredericksburg, on Marktplatz (the German name for town common) is open from April-November.
Early in the season there are almost always arugula and beets available, so that is what i grabbed. I made a beautiful salad with fried goat cheese medallions and my husband loved it. I love to roast beets as it brings out an earthy sweetness to them.
Goat cheese is the perfect tang to add to beets and arugula. I love the crunch that the pistachios and fried panko create. The warmth of the goat cheese and coolness of the salad is a great contrast.
For this and any other vinaigrette, make sure you use quality olive oil and vinegar. I love using a French Dijon for that extra tang.
This recipe is tasty and pretty easy. Tell me in the comments what your favorite veggie is this time of year.
Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Medallions
A great salad with beets and tang of sherry vinaigrette and the gooeyness of fried goat cheese.
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 10 oz goat cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios plus 1/4 cup for salad
- 1/2 cup panko
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 TBSP sherry vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cups fresh arugula, washed and dried
- 4 fresh beets
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the greens from the beet if they have any. Rinse the beets and put them in a double layer of aluminum foil. Close the foil to create an envelope that can steam the beets. Cook for an hour. Test with a fork. Depending on the size it might need to go a bit longer.
Let the beets cool. Once they are cool you can easily peel the beets, cut up into bit size pieces and set aside.
Take the goat cheese and divide into six even balls. Chop up 1/4 cup of pistachios. Add the shallot and panko. Toss together. Put aside.
Dip the goat cheese into the beaten egg, then the panko mixture. Place it on a plate and gently press it into a disc. Once all six are dipped and pressed, place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Whisk together dijon, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place arugula, beets and pistachios in serving bowl. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on greens. Toss to combine. Place on individual plates.
Over medium high heat, place a non-stick pan and drizzle some olive oil to fry the goat cheese. Place the cold goat cheese disc into hot oil and cook until brown on each side, About 1.5-2 minutes. Place the warm goat cheese medallion on the salad.
Season with fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately.
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