Beet Salad with Feta Cheese
BY BUZZ
Light and tasty summer fare
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 light lunches
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 6 / 200C
Ingredients
1 bunch red beets
1 bunch golden beets
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup baby green salad leaves, rinsed and dried
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Maldon sea salt, to taste
(Any cup will do as a measuring cup. The beauty of a salad is you can make as much or as little as you want…just keep the same proportions and you can’t go wrong)
Method
Tear or cut the beet tops from the beets, leaving about an inch of stalk attached. Wash and dry them thoroughly.
Place beets in a roasting pan or on a flat baking sheet. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Test for tenderness after about 30 minutes of cooking by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If the knife easily enters the beet with only a small amount of resistance, it’s done. And the smaller ones will be, too.
Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes or so.
Slip the skins off the beets. They should slip off easily, but use a paring knife on any stubborn spots.
Cut the beets into 1cm / ½-inch dice, and toss in a stainless steel mixing bowl with enough olive oil to coat them.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze one half into the bowl, gently stirring to combine and checking the flavour to taste.
Season to taste with the sea salt.
Whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice then toss the salad leave in this dressing in a separate bowl.
Spoon the beet mixture onto the centre of a salad plate and top each portion with about 1 tbsp of crumbled feta cheese and about ¼ cup of the dressed greens. Serve right away.
