I wanted to come up with a fun salad to highlight the first really successful beet harvest I’ve ever had, and I knew that beets go well with salty cheese. I love Greek feta cheese, so I decided to use it in this salad.
Another thing I know goes really well with beets is the herb lovage. It is a strong herb, a little like a cross between parsley and celery. For some reason beets can stand up to it. If you can’t find lovage, use the tops from a bunch of celery, or some flat-leafed parsley
Serves 4-6
- 8 Chiogga beets (or some other variety)
- 4-6 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
- 1-2 tablespoons of lovage
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of a lemon
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Boil the beets in salty water for 30-40 minutes, until they are tender. Peel and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Toss the beets with some olive oil while they are still warm.
- Add the remaining ingredients — except the salt — and toss gently to combine. If you are using dark beets, however, toss everything EXCEPT the beets together in a bowl, and then add the beets right before you serve this salad, folding them in gently at the end; this minimizes bleeding and makes your salad look better.
- Taste the salad. It should not need extra salt, but add some if you want to. Serve at room temperature.
Wow! I just made some feta and have beets ready in the garden and lovage in the backyard. Do you use some of the lovage stalk or leaves? Can’t wait to make this and explore more of your blog!