Roasted beets and shaved fennel nestled onto tender butterhead lettuce with a tangy lemon vinaigrette and topped with crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts.
2medium fennel bulbscored, very thinly sliced (a mandoline slicer works great)
8cupsbutterheadBoston or bib lettuce - you can tear up the lettuce or serve the whole leaves like I did, based on the presentation you prefer
1/2cupchopped walnutstoasted
4ouncescrumbled goat cheeseor shaved Parmesan if you're not a goat cheese fan
2tablespoonssnipped fresh chives
aluminum foil
Bonus - Sour Cream & Dill Beet Salad
3large roasted beets
1tspsugar
1/2tspkosher salt
1tspbalsamic vinegar
3/4csour creamI used light sour cream
1/2 - 1tbspsnipped fresh dill
Instructions
Lemon Vinaigrette
Put all ingredients in small jar and shake to combine. Set aside at room temperature
Beet Fennel Goat Cheese Salad
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Scrub beets. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on baking sheet. Bake 1 1/2 hours or until knife can be easily inserted into beets. Cool 20 minutes or until able to handle. Remove and discard foil. Trim off stems and root ends. Peel beets and cut into 1 inch pieces.
In medium bowl combine beets, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 3 tbsp of vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Note - if using both red and gold beets, toss them in separate bowls to prevent red beets from bleeding onto gold beets. This is totally optional.
In another medium bowl combine fennel, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 3 tbsp of vinaigrette and toss to combine.
Line 8 plates with lettuce. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange beets, fennel and goat cheese on lettuce. Sprinkle with walnuts and chives.
Bonus - Sour Cream & Dill Beet Salad
Roast beets as directed above. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
Toss beets with sugar, salt and vinegar. Stir together dill and sour cream and then fold into beets. The beets will "sweat", creating a bright pink sour cream dressing. Can be served immediately or chilled before serving. Keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Beet Fennel Goat Cheese Salad adapted from allrecipes.Sour Cream & Dill Beet Salad adapted from Television Food Network