Dandelion Salad With Beets Bacon And Goat Cheese Toasts Food

DANDELION SALAD WITH BEETS, BACON AND GOAT CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, lime juice, sherry vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, then whisk in olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut the beets into ¾-inch wedges. Put them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dress with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss to coat well. Set aside for at least 10 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
• Put a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lardons and let them begin to brown and sizzle, then reduce heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or so, until lardons are barely crisp and lightly browned. Remove lardons from pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
• Paint baguette slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and top each with a slice of goat cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or so until bread is toasted and cheese has softened slightly. Put dandelion greens in a large shallow bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss gently to coat. Add up to 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette and toss to coat leaves well. Divide dressed leaves among 6 plates.
• Garnish each plate with beets, bacon, hard-cooked eggs and goat cheese toast. Alternatively, serve family style with garnishes scattered over the top of the salad.

WARM BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a frying pan with the light olive oil then add the beets and cook for 2 minutes.
• Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
• Cook over a high heat for about 30 seconds then spoon out the mixture on to four plates.
• Crumble over the goat cheese.
• To serve, top each with a little arugula and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a twist of black pepper.