Beet and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour – 1 hour, 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours | Serves: 6
Getting your hands on a Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar is not mandatory for this recipe, but, come on.. Why not?? There are many other uses for a delicious vinegar like this! Drizzle over ice cream, pair with an excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil as a salad dressing, or combine with granulated sugar and fresh strawberries to macerate and serve atop strawberry shortcake! Those are just a handful of ideas.
I have been gifted a bottle of Strawberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar from Abingdon Olive Oil Company. This Beet and Strawberry Salad gets a double dose of the fruity flavor…fresh berries and a Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette in a mouthful of Wow.
The steps can be divided over a couple of days if necessary for your schedule, making this salad de-licious and convenient, not to mention beautiful.
Many homemade vinaigrette recipes call for a sweetener such as honey. I did not add that to this recipe because it allows the sweetness of the balsamic to shine!
The recipe calls for the vinaigrette to sit at room temp for an hour, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. It is not a must to strain, if you want the tiny bits of shallot, garlic, and herb.
If your beet greens are healthy and not wilted, check out my recipe for Beet Greens! No waste.
Enjoy!
Beet and Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Beets:
- 6 medium beets, (red, golden, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or olive oil
- 1/4 cup plus 1 - 2 tablespoons Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar, to taste, or traditional dark, aged balsamic vinegar, my favorite brand
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh herbs (thyme leaves, oregano leaves, rosemary leaves), optional
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
Salad:
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, washed well
- 4 ounces fresh salad greens, washed and dried
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 3 - 4 ounces goat cheese or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pistachios, pecans, or walnuts, toasted and chopped
- coarse salt, such as Maldon, optional
- freshly-cracked black pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Scrub the beets well and trim off the top and bottom stems. (See post for Beet Greens recipe!)
- Place the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. I would use separate sheets of foil if you have more than one color beets, so they do not bleed onto each other.) Evenly drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Wrap the foil around the beets and place the “packets” onto a baking sheet or baking dish.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a sharp knife (pairing knife or steak knife works well) easily pierces one of the largest beets with little resistance. Cook time depends on the size of your beets.
- If you’ve not toasted the nuts, while the beets are in the oven, this would be a good time to do so.
- Also, while the beets are baking, make the Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Combine the oil, balsamic vinegar, shallot, garlic, and zest in a 1-cup measuring cup or small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well and allow the vinaigrette to sit on the counter at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring at least once.
- After an hour, stir the vinaigrette and adjust any seasonings. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard solids and set the vinaigrette aside until ready to serve. If you’ll be serving the dish in more than an hour, refrigerate the vinaigrette. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
- When the beets are easily pierced with a sharp knife, remove them from the oven. Open the foil packets where some steam can escape. Allow them to cool so that you can handle them, about 30 minutes-ish.
- Using paper towels (and disposable gloves to keep your hands from staining), rub the skin from the beets and discard the skins. (The skins should come off very easily.)
- Cut the beets into 8 wedges. Spread them out on the cutting board to continue to cool.
- Hull the strawberries by removing the inner core with a pairing knife angled to cut a conical shape around the core. Discard the cores. Cut the strawberries longways into fourths (or sixths if they are large).
- You may layer the lettuce, parsley, beets, strawberries, vinaigrette, nuts, cheese, and a sprinkling of Maldon salt and black pepper on a large platter. Or, toss all together just before serving.
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