Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese

I think is was just a few days ago that I was saying how chilly it still was…….that has come to an abrupt halt the last few days. It was 95 degrees today……..


Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese 1

When the weather warms my appetite wains. I just don’t feel like eating when its hot……..besides the fact that, I would rather poke out my own eye than cook. Not a good thing for a food blogger huh!!!!

Tim and I were talking after we got back for the grocery store…..yes we HAD to go……it was Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard here………who ever invented air conditioning has our eternal gratitude! It is the best invention ever!!!!

That being said, I still am not all that hungry, but we had to eat.

Salads are ideal summertime meals — they’re quick, nutritious, and don’t require much time to prepare and salads can be a nice entree, you don’t even need meat.

Case in point……Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese. I know what you are thinking, everybody has a recipe for this….and you are right, but I jazzed mine up just a smig.

You know I always say I get my greatest inspiration at the store…..today inspiration struck again. I had left over roasted beets and was going to make a pasta dish with them…….It was gonna be great, but its hot……whah 🙁

We were in the produce section and I spied Panera bottled dressings. Now, I don’t have Panera a lot (the closest one is over an hour away) but, when I have been there the food has always been great. There were several selections of dressing but the Fuji Apple caught my eye. In the cart it went.

My plan was to make a classic beet salad with fried goat cheese rounds, dressed with the Fuji Apple Vinaigrette , sprinkled with toasted walnuts, and call it dinner.
The only cooking part was the goat cheese.
Tip number one: freeze it for at least 30 minutes. It makes it easier to cut, and to cook. My first attempts were falling apart.
Tip number two: do a dip station….flour egg, panko crumbs…….but wait! Instead of the egg how about dipping in flour, Fuji Apple Vinaigrette, then panko…..stellar idea!!!
Tip number three: Put the breaded cheese back in the freezer for about 5 minutes after its breaded. It holds together much better.

Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese 4

Dipping the cheese in the Fuji Apple Vinaigrette gives it a balsamic vinaigrette taste with a slight hint of apple. Besides, its way easier to pour the dressing into the dish than, break the egg, whip them up….you catch my drift.

So, arugula, roasted beets, fuji fried goat cheese, a sprinkle of toasted walnuts and a few slices of red onion….dinner was served , along with the
Fuji Apple Vinaigrette on the side….add as much or little as you like.

Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese was the perfect warm weather dinner!

Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat CheeseCollage

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Roasted Beet Salad with Fuji Fried Goat Cheese

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 roasted beets thinly sliced ( I used two different colored beets but just red is fine)
  • 4 ounce log fresh goat cheese
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup Panera Fuji Apple Vinaigrette
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • Peanut oil
  • 4 cups arugula
  • Several thinly sliced red onion rings, for garnish
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
  • Panera Fuji Apple Vinaigrette to taste

Instructions

  1. For beets:
  2. Roast beet by wrapping washed whole beets in tinfoil and baking in 400* oven for 45-50 minutes. When cool enough to handle peel beets and slice thinly. Set aside.
  3. For fried goat cheese:
  4. Freeze your goat cheese for about 30 minutes until it’s solid but not totally frozen.
  5. While your cheese is hardening set up a breading station in the following order: flour, dressing, bread crumbs, and a parchment paper covered small cookie sheet.
  6. Remove cheese from freezer and slice into 4 equal slices with a sharp a knife.
  7. If any of your cheese is falling apart, pat it together trying to keep a round shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
  8. Take goat cheese rounds and dip in flour, then dressing and then goat in panko crumbs. Lay onto lined sheet. Continue until all slices have been coated. Toss all remaining breading ingredients.
  9. Place coated cheese in the freezer for another 5 minutes while preparing the oil.
  10. In a cast iron skillet (if you don’t have a fast iron skillet, a regular skillet will work fine) cover the bottom with peanut oil, heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, fry breaded goat cheese rounds until crispy on both sides.
  11. Remove fried goat cheese from the skillet, be gentle as they will fall apart easily. Place on parchment lined sheet. Set aside.
  12. For salad:
  13. Divide arugula between two salad bowls. Layer beets decoratively on arugula. Top each salad with two of the goat cheese rounds.
  14. Place sliced red onion and walnuts on top of salad. Drizzle with
  15. Panera Fuji Apple Vinaigrette to taste.

 

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