A few years ago, my husband and I went to Ireland. We of course kissed the Blarney Stone, visited the Jameson Distillery, and the Guinness Store House; we did all things touristy. But, we also ate...and we ate a lot. I found that Ireland had the best soups and salads I'd ever had. Of course, their Irish soda bread was out of this world, too.
One day, after a tour of the Jameson Distillery and before we headed over to the Guinness factory, we decided it would be a good idea to get some food in our stomaches. We stopped by a little restaurant and I ordered the beet, goat cheese & rocket salad. I know. Rocket. Don't worry; I didn't know what it was either, but I ordered it anyway.
10 minutes later, out came the most delicious salad I had ever tasted. It was a bed of arugula topped with roasted beets and crumbled goat cheese. Pure deliciousness. When we got home from Ireland, I decided that I just had to remake it. Now you can share in this delicious salad whenever you want.
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets, tops removed and peeled
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 4 ounces arugula
- ¼ cup walnuts, roasted
- 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
- Wrap all the beets together in aluminum foil and place on a sheet tray. Roast the beet at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender. Once fork tender, remove them from the oven and let them cool. Once they have cooled, dice them into one inch pieces.
- While the beets are cooking, lay the walnuts on a sheet tray and roast for 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Dijon mustard.
- Place the arugula in a medium mixing bowl and add a few tablespoons of the dressing. Toss well. Place in the refrigerator so flavors can meld.
- Once beets are diced and completely cooled, top the arugula with beets, walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese. Add remaining dressing to taste.
