There are few dishes as simple yet striking as a roasted beet salad, especially when it’s prepared with the kind of elegance Beth Le Manach brings to the table. In her debut cookbook Entertaining 101: 101 Recipes Every Host Should Know How to Make, Beth shares her Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Herbs, a recipe inspired by the effortless starters she came to love while dining with her French family. Sweet, earthy beets meet the brightness of citrus and the freshness of herbs, all brought together with a mustard-kissed vinaigrette. It’s a salad that feels both classic and modern, proof that with the right balance, even the simplest ingredients can become extraordinary.
Recipe
SERVES 4 TO 6
4 pounds (1.8 kg) red beets, greens removed
2 large navel oranges
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh mint leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh parsley, sliced into thin ribbons
1 tablespoon (7 g) minced shallots
DRESSING
2 tablespoons (30 ml) champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons (90 ml) grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons (10 ml) orange zest, from the navel oranges
1 tablespoon (15 ml) snipped chives
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
NOTES
1. Don’t let the beets cool too long, or they will be harder to peel. When they’re warm, the skins will easily slip off.
2. You may want to use latex gloves for this part, since the beets can stain your hands and turn your fingernails pink.
3. Add crumbled goat cheese and chopped pistachios for a heartier starter.
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (215°C).
2. Remove the greens from the beets and a sliver off each top. Leave the pointy root end intact. Wrap each beet individually in foil.
3. Place the foil packets on a baking sheet and roast until a knife easily pierces the beet. This can take 25 minutes for beets the size of a lemon and over 45 minutes for beets the size of an orange.
4. Let the beets sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are cool enough to handle (see Note 1).
5. Run each beet under cool water, removing the skin at the same time, and then transfer it to a medium bowl to cool further (see Note 2).
6. Meanwhile, make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Slowly add the grapeseed oil, whisking until emulsified and creamy. Then, add the orange zest, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
7. To segment each orange, slice a thin sliver off the bottom to stabilize and then a sliver off the top to reveal the fruit below. Place your knife at the top of the orange and slice around the curve at an angle to remove the peel in sections. Then, take another turn of the orange with your knife to remove any of the white pith that remains. Insert the knife between the orange segment and the dividing membranes to release the orange segment. Continue all the way around the orange until all the segments are removed and then transfer them to a small bowl.
8. Assemble the salad on individual plates so the beets don’t turn the whole salad pink. Slice the beets into vertical wedges and place 3 to 4 wedges on a plate. Nestle in 3 to 4 orange segments, and sprinkle on the herbs and shallots. Drizzle the dressing on top (see Note 3).
MAKE-AHEAD GAME PLAN
• Two days ahead, roast the beets and peel them. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, and slice them just before serving.
• Two days ahead, make the dressing. Hold off on adding the zest, chives, salt, and pepper until right before serving.
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