Beetroot is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and does a great job supporting detoxification – so it is always a welcome veggie on our dinner table. But those aren’t the main reasons why we eat them: they are also incredibly tasty, especially when paired with flavors that contrast their sweet earthiness. For example, here in France, it is often served in restaurants as a starter called “mille-feuille”, where beets and fresh goat cheese are layered (like the pastry of the same name), and then decorated with nuts, seeds, or herbs. The recipe below is a good classic version of it – but as always, I encourage you to play around with the ingredients depending on your mood and what you’ve got on hand. So if you prefer, you can replace the goat cheese with a thick plain Greek yogurt, fresh ricotta, or even a more pungent Roquefort. And if you are feeling the need for something more plant-based, why not swap the cheese with sliced avocado, cashew “cheese” or a mild hummus. The same goes for the nuts: hazelnuts are amazing, but so are walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds or even condiments like dukkah, zaatar powder and a savory granola.
Note: I like to take fresh beets and roast them myself (because it tastes so much better!), but if you are pressed for time, you can get pre-cooked ones and skip steps 1 and 2.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 beetroots, cleaned and scrubbed
- 100 g soft goat cheese
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and slightly crushed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C
- Place the beets in an ovenproof dish and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Take out and let cool before peeling the skin off with your hands or a small knife.
- Slice the beets in medium slices, about 2 cm
- Prepare 4 starter plates. On each plate, alternate half a beetroot (one slice at a time) with one layer of goat cheese. You can also do this in advance on a larger serving plate, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a small bowl, mix olive oil, vinegar, salt, thyme and honey
- Before serving, drizzle each plate with dressing and sprinkle with hazelnuts