A perfect salad for the autumn season when beets are at their most flavorful, autumn beet salad is served warm and makes an elegant and scrumptious appetizer. In this recipe, whole beets are combined with beet greens, sautéed cremini mushrooms, garlic, and walnuts and topped with crumbled goat cheese. Serve this as a light and gorgeous appetizer paired with a good bottle of merlot or Shiraz.

Red beets should be cooked with their skins on so that their color does not bleed and their flavor will remain intact. Boiling them without their skins will lessen their flavor. Any slice or cut on the skin will release the juice from the beets so take care when handling the beets. Brush them gently and leave an inch of stalk and root end to keep the vegetable intact. Sometimes, beets can be tough if they are older or if they are not in season. While it is best to make this salad with young and in-season beets, you can still use older and tough beets by soaking them overnight in cold water. This helps soften them and make them easier to cook the next day.

To brighten the color of the beets, you can also add some white vinegar to the boiling water, about a fourth of a cup for every 8 cups of water. You know the beets are done if you can pierce them easily with a fork, knife or cake tester and the flesh is tender. Select beets that are uniform in size so that they all cook at the same time.

You can also opt to eat the beets raw as they are edible even when they are not cooked. Simply wash the beets and peel them then grate onto the salad. You can use a variety of beets for a more colorful dish including golden and striped varieties in addition the regular crimson or purple-colored beets.
4
40 min
50 min
Recommended Wine
Merlot OR Shiraz
Difficulty Level
Average
Ingredients

6 medium-sized whole beets (recommended: a mixture of Chioggia, golden and oxblood)
1-2 bunches of beet greens (if you can use the leafy tops of the above beets, all the better)
1lb cremini mushrooms
4 cloves garlic
½ C chevre (soft, unripened goat cheese)
½ C walnuts, crumbled
1 tbsp butter or cooking oil

1

Give the beets a quick scrub, being careful of their delicate skin, but don’t peel them. In a large saucepan, boil the beets for about 40 minutes, until they are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
2

While the beets are boiling, wash the beet greens and the cremini mushrooms. Chop the greens roughly and steam them for 5 minutes. Slice the cremini mushrooms thinly.
3

In a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, combine the butter/oil, mushrooms, garlic and walnuts. Sautee for five minutes, then add the chopped greens and sauté further until the greens are bright and colourful. Remove from heat and set aside.
4

Drain the beets and carefully remove the skins. Slice the beets into rounds. Combine the beet rounds with greens mixture. Crumble the chevre over everything. Serve and enjoy.

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