I made a beet risotto last week (more on that topic another day) and had leftover roast beets demanding an encore. I ended up improvising a sexy little salad that the FC liked so much he licked the platter clean (so did I.)
What I like about this salad is that it’s so composed and pretty, with the endive leaves layed out in petals around the beets, a hint of decadence in the blue cheese (but not too much) and the inviting deep ruby red centre. Simple yet impressive, it’s the perfect cooking for cock appetizer. I recommend this for a fancy Friday night dinner for you and your favourite rooster.
Beet and Endive Salad
2 endives
, washed, stem cut and leaves plucked.
4-5 small roasted beets* peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
For the dressing:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsmamic
salt and pepper
Fan endives on a plate. Place sliced beets in the middle (don’t move them around too much or the red juice of the beets will spread, messing up your presentation) Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese on top. Mix dressing in a bowl and drizzle a tablespoon (more or less to taste) over both beets and endive leaves.
I put the FC in charge of the dressing (he’s expanding his repertoire beyond crepes and peanut butter sandwiches). He made his dressing with more oil then I would have but my inner culinary control freak stayed quiet (a lesson I learned in When Cock Turns Cook.) And I’m very glad I did. His simple dressing easily picked up the sweet red juices from the beets (essentially becoming another element of the dressing.) I’m not kidding when I say we both licked the plates clean.
(*Tip: Because it’s time consuming, I recommend roasting up a big batch of beets and using them all week in risottos, salads, borscht, whatever your “beeting heart” desires! To roast beets, pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, wash and trim beet stems. Double wrap in aluminum foil and bake for around 45 minutes to an hour, depending on beet size. )