Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds

beet salad

I love mixing sweet and savory in a recipe. It's a flavor combination I enjoy. There's one upcoming holiday that traditionally combines these flavors, Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish new year is full of symbolic foods. And those with the highest importance are apples, honey, and pomegranates. They carry the hope for a sweet and prosperous new year.

In classic holiday recipes you'll find apples mixed into vegetable sides, or honey-roasted chicken, or pomegranates sprinkled on salads. This dish combines apples, honey, and pomegranates with earthy beets to create a salad that's perfect for the celebration of renewal.

A little bit of fruit adds vibrancy to many dishes. Here apples are a sweet and crunchy contrast to earthy roasted beets. Pomegranate seeds strewn over top add bursts of tartness. A honey-based apple cider vinaigrette ties everything together. This salad would make a nice first course or side salad. It's refreshing and flavorful, opening the palate to a world in which sweet and savory work harmoniously together.

Beet and Apple Salad with Honey Dressing and Pomegranate Seeds

for the roasted beets:
4 medium to large beets, greens discarded
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

for the dressing:
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

for the salad:
1 Gravenstein apple, cored, sliced into thin wedges
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped chervil leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On half of a large piece of foil, toss beets with a drizzling of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold over foil and crimp together edges to create a packet and seal tightly. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Let the beets cool until easy to handle. Peel by rubbing skins with a paper towel. Cut beets into thin wedges. Toss with a small drizzling of dressing and season with salt and pepper.

After slicing apple, immediately toss slices with a small drizzling of dressing to keep from browning.

In a large bowl, carefully toss together apples and beets. Divide among plates or transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle over with remaining dressing. Scatter over with pomegranate seeds. Garnish with chervil. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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