Baby Beet & Carrot Salad with Herbed Crème Fraîche Dressing
This beautiful salad utilizes both the bright baby beets and tender greens.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
½ cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons minced dill
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 pound baby beets with greens (about 1-inch thick)
1 pound slender young carrots with greens (about 1/2-inch thick)1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. For the dressing: Whisk to combine green onion, garlic, and lemon zest and juice, onion and garlic powder, and sea salt in a small mixing bowl. Set aside to marinate for a few minutes. Fold in the crème fraîche, followed by the fresh herbs. Taste and add sea salt as needed. Cover and set in fridge to chill. Just before serving, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin dressing as needed.
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Trim all but ¼-inch of beet and carrot greens (reserve beet greens), and thoroughly scrub vegetables. Set unpeeled beets in a small, 2-inch-deep baking pan. Add ½ inch of cold water and cover tightly with foil. Slide into oven and roast until beets are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover beets, drain hot water, and set beets aside until cool enough to handle. Slice off beet tops and remove skin under cold running water, either with fingertips or a peeler. (Skin will come off very easily.) Quarter beets and sprinkle with sea salt.
3. Halve carrots and cut on the bias into 4-inch spears. Toss with olive oil and a pinch each sea salt and pepper. Scatter on a rimmed baking sheet and slide into oven to roast alongside beets 10 to 15 minutes, or until carrots just begin to curl up and the edges turn golden.
4. While vegetables cook, rinse and dry beet greens, and arrange leaves on a serving platter. Tuck beets and carrots into the greens. Spoon on the dressing, and finish with a few twists of pepper and minced parsley. Serve immediately.
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Radishes & Mint
This wonderful springtime salad gets an extra flavor boost courtesy of crunchy radish slices and zingy lemon zest.
Ingredients:
1 cup crème fraîche or Greek yogurt
¼ cup lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly-chopped mint
½ bunch radishes, trimmed of greens, washed and thinly-sliced into rounds
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Whisk together the crème fraîche, lemon juice and fresh mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Fold in the radishes and snap peas, and then garnish the salad with the lemon zest. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.