Spinach Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts & Lemon Vinaigrette
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Prep
20 mins
Bake
20 to 25 mins
Total
40 to 45 mins
Servings
4 Persons
Yield
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach (washed thoroughly)
- 2 medium red beets
- 2-4 oz goat cheese
- Candied walnuts (recipe below)
- Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Candied Walnuts:
- 1 cup walnut halves/pieces
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Lemon Vinaigrette
- (Yields approximately 1/3 cup)
- Juice from 1 lemon (need 1/8 cup juice)
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Pinch of dry thyme
Instructions
Directions to make Vinaigrette
Whisk together lemon juice and sunflower oil until combined. Add remaining ingredients. This recipe may yield more than you need for your salad. Keep refrigerated and mix together before adding to salad.
Roasted Beets
Heat the oven to 400°F.
Slice off the beet leaves close to the tip of the beet, leaving you enough to grip. Scrub the beets thoroughly, and then wrap them loosely in foil. No need to dry the beets before wrapping.
Transfer the wrapped beets to a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 1 hour. Check the beets every 20 minutes or so. If they are starting to look dry or are scorching on the bottoms, dribble a tablespoon of water over the beets before re-wrapping. Beets are done when a fork or skewer slides easily to the middle of the beet. Small beets will cook more quickly than large beets.
Let the beets cool enough to handle. Hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges of the paper to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn’t, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer.
Cut beets into a medium dice.
Candied Walnuts
Add all ingredients to a medium non-stick pan over medium heat.
Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so your mixture doesn’t burn. When the sugar mixture starts melting, stir constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.
Transfer immediately onto a sheet of parchment paper and separate the nuts right away with a utensil. Please do not use your hands for separating. The sugar will be very hot and can cause burns.
Once the coating hardens (approximately 8 minutes), you can transfer the nuts to a bowl.
Assemble salad
In a bowl combine baby spinach and some lemon vinaigrette. Add the vinaigrette a tablespoon at a time to adjust to your taste. When finished mixing spinach, add diced beets, candied walnuts, and goat cheese. When adding the goat cheese, use a fork to break apart cheese in its wrapping and add to salad.
