Americans just don’t have the same respect as the French for the humble beet. This is unfortunate, as beets are as versatile as they are nutritious! If my previous beet recipes such as Janine’s Pink Soup didn’t convince you, perhaps this one will. Today’s simple salad recipe begins with plain ol’ boiled beets and – hang with me for a moment, ok? – lets them loaf around in a delightful marinate for a few hours. The marinade imparts a fantastic flavor on the beets, and also serves as a build-in dressing for the salad. So easy, so delicious.
Ingredients (serves 4)
8 cups mixed baby greens
16 spears of asparagus (or substitute green beans)
3 fresh beets
1 cup raw walnuts
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon crushed herbes de provence
1/2 teaspoon grey sea salt
lemon zest (to garnish)
Directions
Step 1) Remove tops ONLY from three fresh beets, and simmer the whole beet bulbs in water for 45 minutes or until beets are fairly easily pierced by a fork. You don’t want soft/mushy beets, but they shouldn’t be rock hard, either. Think “al dente” like pasta.
Step 2) Remove beets from pot and place in ice water for a few minutes to cool.
Step 3) While beets are cooling, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbes de provence, and sea salt. Set aside.
Step 4) Trim ends from asparagus spears (or green beans). Blanch them by placing them in boiling water for 1 minute only… remove quickly and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Step 5) Peel beets (the skins should slide right off when you rub them), slice them into 6 or 7 pieces each. Place beet slices in a shallow bowl and cover with a little more than half of the marinade. Set in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
Step 6) Place asparagus spears (or green beans) in a second bowl and cover with the remainder of the marinate. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Step 7) After enough marinading time has passed, assemble your salads. Toss walnuts and greens together and arrange on four plates. Top with beet slices and asparagus (or green beans). Drizzle with a bit of the marinade, and garnish with lemon zest. See? Beets really ARE delicious!
Crowded Earth Kitchen 
British cooking used to be similar to our American cousins with regards to beetroot. You could buy it soused in sweet vinegar and that was it. Luckily that’s changing and stuff like beetroot and goats’ cheese salad are starting to become mainstream pub grub. I like the look of this though – simple but tasty. Cheers!
I would love to see beets become a mainstream veggie in the US. We’ll see!
I absolutely adore beets and I’m always looking for new ways to prepare them. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Wonderful – I hope you enjoy!
Girls, Girls, Ladies, Ladies, I must disagree Beets are common in US in Florida they are on every menu in one form or another (in most nice Restaurants). Again, we have many International visitors 6 weeks to 6 months a year on extended holidays here. I do not know about the other 49 States. Man, I have it made it Florida for sure. I love Beets. I have written, created, tweak so many beet salad recipes already!!! Cheryl
That’s wonderful to hear, I just don’t see them appreciated as much in Midwest and Northeast states. They’re available in markets in these regions, but are not commonly featured on restaurant menus. That’s a shame, because beets are far more nutritious than, say, green beans (which are VERY common on restaurant menus).
I too wish beets appeared on more restaurant menus. Some of us appreciate more than green beans as a side. Chez Jacques French bistro in Milwaukee has the best roasted beet salad. The Crowded Earth posted salad looks just as good!