Beet Stacks

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I love what people are doing with beets these days. From chips to cocktails, they’re all over the place. I spotted some really nice beets from a tiny local farmer’s market in the neighborhood. Once a week Old Salt Marketplace (which by the way has amazing food! more on that another time) has a few farm vendors in the parking lot, it’s small but has some really beautiful produce. I was thinking to do a beet salad, but then I had a vague memory of these beet stacks. And then it hit me. It was at River’s End restaurant in Jenner, CA. If you’re ever in the Russian River area of northern California it’s worth stopping in for lunch or dinner. It’s just beautiful, with farms on one side and the ocean on the other, where the river meets the ocean, it’s a very special place. I don’t mean to get all sentimental about California but places like that are so wondrous. 

And now on to the beets. I checked out the menu and there was the list of ingredients for their “Technicolor Beet Salad”. Very simple and straightforward, and even though this looks fancy it is so easy to put together, just stack em up! Oh and it tastes incredible, I think I made it exactly like the restaurant, not all my reverse-engineering goes quite right as I’ve said before, but this? Spot on. I think goat cheese and beets are just about one of the best flavor combinations, adding the basil and hazelnuts with the orange balsamic dressing, wow! This is so so good!

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Beet Stacks

(for 4 stacks)

  • 3 large multi-color beets
  • 4 oz goat cheese
  • 1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, crushed
  • a handful of fresh basil, small leaves

1 1/2” cookie cutter

Orange Balsamic Reduction

  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • zest of half an orange

To make the dressing add juice and vinegar to saucepan along with the orange zest, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400°

To roast the beets, trim the greens and wash well, wrap in foil (I recommend wrapping them individually in foil to retain color), drizzle with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until tender.

Allow to cool, then rinse under cold water and remove outer peel.

Slice the beets into 1/4” slices, then use a 1 1/2” cookie cutter to make the rounds. 

Start with one slice for the base and between each layer of beet add a little goat cheese, a few nuts and a basil leaf. Top with some goat cheese and nuts, drizzle the dressing around the base of your stack. Serve at room temp.