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Smashed and Seared Beets
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • Beet Salad Ingredients
  • 1/2 C. 4 ounces goat cheese (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 C. heavy cream
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds small to medium beets
  • 1 1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves halved
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Baby arugula or baby spinach
  • Chimichurri Ingredients
  • 1/4 C. red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove peeled
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 C. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/2 C. fresh cilantro leaves stems removed
  • 1/4 C. fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 t. ground cumin
Instructions
  1. To make the beet salad, put goat cheese, cream and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and whisk. Cover and refrigerate.
  2. Put beets, 5 cups of water, cider vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 t. salt in a large saucepan and simmer over high heat. Once the water begins to vigorously simmer, partially cover the pot with a lid and continue to simmer until the beets are tender. This will take between 35 and 50 minutes depending upon the size of the beets. Remove the beets from the cooking water and let them cool.
  3. Trim the cooled beets (but do not peel off the skin) and then smash them. I put the beets on my cutting board and used a large plate to smash them. You want them to be flattened but not smashed to the point of coming apart. Then, heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the beets and cook them undisturbed until the beet skins are crispy and caramelized. This will take about 3-4 minutes per side. (Turn the beets over once during cooking.) Season with salt and pepper.
  4. To make the chimichurri sauce, combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree. Chill the sauce.
  5. To assemble the dish, spread a thick layer of the goat cheese crema over the bottom of a large serving platter. Arrange the smashed beets over the top of the crema. Drizzle chimichurri over the dish and garnish with arugula or spinach. Serve with extra chimichurri sauce on the side.