Red Hot Beet Salad With Goat Cheese Toasts Vegetables Recipes Beets Recipes

Ingredients

8 medium beets (1 3/4 pounds)

1 c. pure maple syrup

1 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

salt

12 slice (1/4-inch-thick) baguette

1/2 c. fresh goat cheese (4 ounces)

1 tsp. poppy seeds

4 heads Bibb lettuce (3 ounces each)

Preparation

Step 1In a medium saucepan, cover the beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the beets to a plate and let cool, then peel and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid in the saucepan.Step 2Add the maple syrup to the pan and boil over moderately high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the beets and cayenne and simmer over moderate heat until the beets are sweet and hot, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beets to a plate. Boil the cooking liquid until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Return the beets to the pan and let cool to room temperature.Step 3In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the beet syrup with the vinegar, olive oil and garlic and season with salt. Spread each toast with 2 teaspoons of goat cheese; sprinkle with poppy seeds.Step 4In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the beets and vinaigrette. Mound the salad on plates, set the goat cheese toasts alongside and serve.Step 5Make Ahead: The recipe can be prepared up to 1 day ahead through Step 2 and refrigerated.