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Fried Goat Cheese Beet and Lentil Salad |
I talked this salad up so much in my French Friday's with Dorie cooking group that I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. But how can it not: fresh greens, smothered in lentils with sweet beets as a contrast to the earthy lentils, topped with crispy goat cheese that melts in your mouth.... Have I sold you yet?
Maybe I should tell you that the last time I served this was the eve of a hurricane in the Adirondacks last summer. The sky was red and the evening calm... it was a really memorable night with friends at our camp that quickly changed when the hurricane decided to pour more rain on to our area than was expected. We had to "bug out" of our island home at dawn in hopes of out running the storm. We were not successful and spent many hours on the road detouring off of flooded highways... but at least we had the memory of our yummy dinner the night before to sustain us through the ordeal.
FRIED GOAT CHEESE BEETS & LENTIL SALAD
by Diane Balch
Prep 1 hour Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients:
large container of baby green lettuces
Italian vinaigrette dressing
1 cup of dried lentils (French de puy lentils are really nice if you can find them)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup of minced red onion
1 tablespoon of brandy or cognac (optional)
1 pound of fresh beets
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of Italian flavored bread crumbs (Aleia's gluten-free Italian Bread Crumbs)
2 eggs
1 large log 6-8 oz of goat cheese
Directions:
1) One hour before you plan to fry the goat cheese put the whole log in the freezer. This will keep the centers from melting too quickly when you fry them.
2) Preheat oven to 425 degrees at least 10 minutes before you want to roast the beets.
Lentils:
3) Rise lentils and remove black or cracked ones. Put them in a large sauce pan with the onions, stock, brandy and a dash of salt and pepper. With the lid on bring them to a boil and lower them to a medium simmer for up to 30 minutes. Check occasionally to see if they need more stock. Lentils are done when they are tender to the taste.
Beets:
4) While the lentils are cooking cut off the stems and roots of the beets. Scrub them under water with a vegetable brush. Cut them in half for a faster cooking time or leave them whole. Coat them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast them in a large baking dish until you can easily poke a fork through them, approximately 30 minutes. When you remove the beets from the oven let them cool to the touch and then peel off their skin. Chop them into 1 inch cubes and toss them with a vinaigrette of your choice. You can prepare the beets the day before and add them cold to the salad. They will have absorbed the dressing more.
Goat Cheese:
5) Once your lentils and beets are cooked. Spread bread crumbs out in a large plate. Beat the eggs. On medium-high heat put 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. When the oil is hot (a drop of water sizzles in it) Remove the goat cheese from the freezer and slice it into 1 inch pieces. One at a time coat the goat cheese in egg and then cover them with bread crumbs. Fry for approximately 1 minute on each side or until the outside becomes golden brown.
Assembling Salad:
6) Toss greens with vinaigrette. In each bowl place greens, then lentils, next beets and top with goat cheese. Rustic bread goes nicely with this salad.
vegetarian, beets, salad, lentils, goat cheese
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Spotlight from Last Week:
From: Peanut Butter & Peppers
Watermelon and tomatoes: this salad is a good reminder that tomatoes are really fruit. Interesting flavor: a mixture of sweet, bitter and the creaminess of the goat cheese.
From: girlichief
Mexican comfort food: pork, beans, beer all in one dish. How can you go wrong.
From: It's Not about the Recipe...
Cajun comfort food, andouille sausage makes the flavor pop in this spicy dish that is perfectly balanced by creamy grits
From: It's Not about the Recipe
Got any room for dessert... try this simple, yet light and summery lemon poppy cake.
Instructions for Foodie Friday linky:
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1) Copy the Foodie Friday Button's html from this website's sidebar. 2) Paste this html to the html page of the recipe you want to link to Foodie Friday. You can also make a word link or post our button on your sidebar. Please link back. 3) Copy the link to the recipes you want to add to Foodie Friday, not your homepage. You can post up to 3 recipes that you have not shared before. 4) Click on "your next" on this page. 5) Past your link and type in the name of the recipe, not your name. 6) Choose how you want to download the photo. |
DEAR PARTY PARTICIPATES I WILL BE UNPLUGGED THIS WEEKEND AS OF 11:30 AM FRIDAY. I APOLOGIZE NOW IF I DO NOT RESPOND TO YOUR COMMENTS UNTIL MONDAY.
Thank you so much for hosting! That recipe sounds delish..the fried cheese is making me drool!!
ReplyDeleteGood morning and thanks for another link party! I came up with an alternative to one of my fav drinks-a Skinny Orange Julius (#20). It's super easy to make, so tasty and good for you! Hope you like the recipe and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteRebekah-www.potholesandpantyhose.com
As a kid I was a big Orange Julius fan....now can you come up with a skinny version of the chili cheese hot dog they served?
DeleteWow! This has so many good things going on it it just looks fantastic! Its funny Im not usually a huge fan of goat cheese but I always loved it paired with beets! THis recipe is original and Im totally pinning it for future use. Thanks for hosting this fun party!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much... I agree it is probably one of my best creations because there are so many different flavors and textures in it... I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
DeleteGood morning, Diane! Your recipe looks delicious ... pinning! Thank you for hosting. I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteYour Salad and the features look delicious! Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for hosting!
Miz Helen
It's not a party until Miz Helen shows up... thanks for stopping by.
Deletethanks for hosting! those lentils look delicious! this week, i shared my Broccoli, Basil, & Avocado Quinoa Pilaf! It's gluten free, vegan, and Body Ecology Diet friendly!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fantastically healthy dish.. thank you for joining the party.
DeleteThank you for hosting. I absolutely have to make fried goat cheese!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane! Thanks for hosting. I've never thought to deep fry goat's cheese. What a delicious looking salad.
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
It is quick fried but if you have a deep fryer it probably would less likely run in the middle.
DeleteThanks again for hosting - have a great weekend :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the feature this week, Diane! Now pass me a plate of that salad - it looks AMAZING! Although the goat cheese alone would suffice ;).
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcomed. It is tempting to eat the goat cheese fried alone but you would probably get a belly ache. It is versatile and you can put it on any salad. It really makes a salad a meal.
DeleteYou don't have to sell that recipe! The picture says it all... fabulous
ReplyDeleteThanks... your right the colors are great. I hope you enjoy it.
DeleteThanks for hosting! This week I'm sharing my Crunchy Munchy Veggie Salad and Chicken Nachos
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the feature this week! I'm thrilled!! Thank you for hosting Foodie Friday. And, yes, you sold me on the salad. What's not to love? Beets, goat cheese, lentils . . . . I'm making it this weekend!
ReplyDeleteA lot of great looking recipes are being posted! Thank you for the invite to this link party. :) I have followed you on Twitter!
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
Wow! So many great things linked up...where to start? I have never tried goat cheese. Looks beautiful and sounds yummy. I linked up my spicy meatloaf. Stop back on Tuesday and link up to my party The Gathering Spot. http://mamaldiane.com/?p=7087
ReplyDeletewonderful recipe, must try soon, and thanks for the invite, I have linked up, yay, thanks for hosting :)
ReplyDeleteNow I actually have this recipe, Diane. It looks fabulous. Anything with beets works for me. And, lentils, I'm really trying to get into them - so healthy and nutritious. So much good about this dish. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the invite to the party!
ReplyDeleteAll of these recipes looks so delicious. Thank you for letting me link up.
ReplyDeleteOnce again I am reduced to drooling in front of my computer screen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, Diane! Have a great weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting and inviting me over! Your salad looks great!
ReplyDeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting! Have a wonderful week :)
Mmmm,...I love every ingredient in this but the pic of that goat cheese, all crispy. OMG - that looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing at our party.
ReplyDeleteThe subject of this week's Food on Friday is Salad. It would be great if you linked this in. This is the link . I found this through What's Cooking Wednesday
ReplyDeleteYou are a star for linking up to Food on Friday when you are busy hosting a link up yourself. Isn't there now a great collection of salad ideas. And more are still coming in. Cheers
ReplyDeleteHi! Stopping in to invite you to join us at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/10/clever-chicks-blog-hop-6.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy
The Chicken Chick