Roasted Red Beet Salad from Chef Greg Reeves

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If you’re still feeling kind of full from Thanksgiving (but also getting excited for a December full of delicious eats), here’s a satisfying roasted red beet salad recipe for the week in between. Viale‘s Greg Reeves lays out all the steps for tangy aioli to complement the sweetened beets, served up with homemade honey-cider vinaigrette and pickled onions. Mild little gem lettuce and crispy radishes complete the plate for a meal that’s the perfect pre-holiday season palate cleanser.

Details

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

For the beets:
  • 2-4 red beets (1 per person)
  • 1 tablespoon evoo
  • 1 cup water
  • salt & pepper
For the pickled onions:
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 red onion, shaved thin on a mandoline
For the honey-cider vinaigrette:
  • 1 shallot
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup evoo
For the aioli:
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 4 tablespoons grana Padano or Parmesan, grated
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt & pepper
For the salad:
  • 1 head little gem or red leaf lettuce
  • 3 radishes, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons vinaigrette
  • 3 tablespoons aioli

Directions

For the beets:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the beets with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place in an ovenproof pan. Add the water to the pan and cook for 2 hours, or until soft (a knife should pierce them easily.) Cool, peel and dice the beets, then set aside.
For the pickled onions:
  1.  While the beets cook, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Place the shaved onion in a heat-resistant bowl and pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions. Cover and set aside to cool.
For the honey-cider vinaigrette:
  1. Place the shallot, vinegar, honey and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.
For the aioli:
  1. Whisk together the ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill.
To assemble: 
  1. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radish and as much pickled onion as you would like with two tablespoons of vinaigrette. Salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together the diced beets and three tablespoons of aioli.
  3. To serve, spoon the beet mixture onto a plate and top with lettuce mix.

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