With a sweet, earthy flavor, juicy texture and ruby-red hue, this Roasted Beet Salad for Two with orange and fennel is a showstopper. Tossing roasted beets with a mint vinegar dressing while they’re still warm allows them to absorb the dressing’s flavor. Sprinkle with blood orange segments, pickled fennel, and goat cheese and you have a simple yet elegant salad.
IN THIS POST, YOU WILL LEARN:
- WHAT'S IN THIS ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR TWO?
- WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH ORANGE AND FENNEL
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you purchase through those links. I personally own the recommended products and love using them which is why I signed up to be an affiliate.
WHAT'S IN THIS ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR TWO?
1-pound beets – You can use either golden or red beets or a mix of the two in this recipe.
Beets that are small or medium size are more tender than large ones. They should be heavy for their size and firm, without any nicks or cuts and have smooth, firm roots. If the greens are still attached, they should be brightly colored and fresh looking.
Blood Oranges – You will need to cut away the peel and pith, watch my You Tube Video on how to segment an Orange.
Pickled Fennel or 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly – Dining at Fika in Minneapolis, I tasted my first pickled fennel with blood oranges in a salad – I was hooked.
This recipe takes what I love about the classic roasted beet and orange salad, using pickled fennel – check out the recipe with a video – and tosses it with my OT42 fresh mint vinaigrette found in the beet salad recipe card below.
Goat Cheese – Substitute ½ cup shaved ricotta salata for goat cheese, if desired.
Mint Vinegar Dressing - made with pear-infused vinegar, honey, lemon juice, mint, vanilla and olive oil. Find the measurements in the recipe card and helpful tips for making mint vinegar dressing below in the HOW TO MAKE MINT VINEGAR DRESSING.
EASIEST WAY TO PREPARE BEETS
To make this simple yet elegant salad, I had to find the easiest way to prepare the beets. Wrapped in foil and roasted, the beets were juicy and tender with a concentrated sweetness.
Peeling is easiest when the beets are still warm – the skins slide off effortlessly.
To easily skin beets without staining your hands, cradle the roasted beet in several layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel in your hand, then gently rub off the skin.
Toss the sliced beets with the dressing while still warm, allowing them to absorb maximum flavor.
When buying beets, look for bunches that have the most uniformly sized beets so that they will roast in the same amount of time. If the beets are different sizes, remove the smaller ones from the oven as they become tender. You can use either golden or red beets or a mix of the two in this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE MINT VINEGAR DRESSING
The fresh mint dressing is what carries this fennel, orange and goat cheese salad. The flavor is mint, bright and tangy from the pear vinegar and balanced with a touch of vanilla and honey.
Making mint dressing is easy, but it can be a challenge to get the perfect emulsion. That’s when the oil and vinegar combine into a creamy texture instead of separating.
Over the years, I’ve found a few tips for making a perfect emulsion:
- Use a medium-sized bowl to allow for enough movement of the whisk. Trust me on this one, I’ve done it in small bowls or jars and it’s almost impossible to get the oil and vinegar to meld and not separate.
- Whisk the ingredients by hand or use a hand blender. Start with the vinegar, mint, honey and vanilla.
- Add the olive oil slowly and gradually: I typically add it tablespoon by tablespoon and whisk in between until the oil fully incorporates. If using a hand blender you can add slowly a steady stream of oil.
- Add Salt and Pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you like it sweeter add more honey, if you want more of a vanilla hit, add about ¼ teaspoon at a time.
HOW TO SEGMENT AN ORANGE (PERFECT FOR A SALAD)
I have always wondered how restaurants remove the pith and segment of an orange making it look so appetizing. The pith of an orange is the stringy, spongy white stuff between the peel (or zest) and the fruit.
I find it difficult to remove. During a cooking lesson with @GavinKeyson, Owner and Executive Chef of Spoon and Stable, we were taught how to segment an orange.
Check out my You Tube Video on how to cut oranges and remove the pith (or really for any citrus)! Click Here: How to segment an orange video.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR TWO
I made this roasted beet salad with the Orecchiette pasta with Broccolini for bookclub – YUM! Some other recipes found on Our Table 4 2 that would pair nicely include:
Earlier this summer the selection for one of the book clubs I belong to, Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library takes a quirky main character, Nora Seed, dealing with some hard issues and places her in a unique situation.
The Midnight Library, deals with a library at the edge of the universe that contains an infinite amount of books, each with a different reality. This library specifically has an infinite number of realities of Nora Seed’s life.
While Nora travels in and out of realities in the novel, she does occasionally stop to eat a bite. After reading the book, I thought that so much of Nora’s story came down to her relationship with her brother. A favorite food scene for me, is where she goes to eat at his house and they eat the Puglian garlic pasta and broccoli together and a beet salad.
A French sauvignon blanc from the Val De Loire valley, such as Les Anges has less acidity than the New Zealand whites. The wine will subtly blend with the flavors of the salad and is just the wine to ease into fall with this Roasted Beet Salad For Two with orange, fennel, and goat cheese tossed in a mint vinegar dressing. Thank you James from The Wine Shop in Minnetonka for this suggestion. The Wine Shop is on instagram @wineshopminnetonka.
Roasted Beet Salad For Two
Save This Recipe To Your Recipe Box
You can access your saved recipes on this device and generate a shopping list for recipes in your collections.
Equipment
- aluminum foil
- paper towels
Ingredients
Ingredients For Salad:
- 1 pound beets, trimmed
- 1 blood orange, segmented
- 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
- Pickled Fennel or 1 small fennel bulb cored and thinly sliced
For the mint vinegar dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ bunch fresh mint
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons champagne/pear-infused/white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare the Beets.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and place on rimmed baking sheet. Roast beets until a fork tine or skewer inserted into center meets little resistance, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. If the beets are different sizes, remove the smaller ones from the oven as they become tender.
- Remove beets from oven and carefully remove foil (take caution as steam will be released). When beets are cool enough to handle, rub off skins with paper towels or clean dish towel and cut into thin ½ slices.
Make the Mint Vinegar Dressing.
- Read the section above: How to Make Mint Dressing. I recommend making the entire dressing recipe and saving leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature prior to serving.
- Add sliced beets, toss to coat, and let cool at room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Assemble the Salad.
- Cut away peel and pith from oranges. Quarter oranges, then slice crosswise into ½-inch thick pieces. (video below).
- Combine Oranges and any accumulated juices, and fennel gently tossing together in a small bowl.
- Layer beets on plate. Top with orange segments and fennel. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with goat cheese, mint vinegar dressing and serve.
Video
Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ourtable42
SHARE YOUR ROASTED BEET SALAD FOR TWO MOMENT
Join The Fun! Click on this Link: Share your OT42 Moment and upload your picture!
Every month, I will share pictures of what you all in the OT42 community are eating and drinking.
Kim Pinkham says
I loved this salad! (I made the pickled fennel a few days earlier). At first I was thrown by the addition of vanilla to the dressing (never heard of that!)... but when all blended, it was a beautiful compliment to the earthy beets, pickley fennel, sweet oranges, and creamy goat cheese. I can never crumble goat cheese, but I love he small creamy blobs that I add all over. I used both red and yellow beets - and blood oranges were unavailable so I used red Cara Cara oranges. This is a keeper!
Pam Werley says
I am so glad you liked it! I think the vanilla and th pickled fennel take this salad over the top!