Roasted Golden Beets Salad with Yuzu Dressing

Specialty supermarkets are an endless source of inspiration, especially if I go hungry. One of my favorite places to go to is Mitsuwa Marketplace in New Jersey. I could spend hours staring at the endless variety of noodles, specialty produce, types of rice, brands of sake. It’s like a tiny vacation, a moment of escape, a small adventure. Yes, I am aware that most people don’t like to spend their time in supermarkets but this place is really special; especially the food court (best ramen you can get is served here – no fuss, rich and perfectly seasoned with golden noodles you can slurp to your heart’s desire; but I digress – apologies).

So, as I was walking the aisles of the store, I ran across fresh yuzu and my mind went wild. I love the flavor and I have never seen it whole, as a fruit. I always had id already cooked: in a sorbet, in a dressing, as a marinade…

I bought it and brought it home. Now, what to do with it? I remembered that I had these beautiful golden beets in the fridge and decided on the spot that it will be a salad of some sort. I rummaged some more in the fridge and found a head of frisee lettuce.

Serving Size:

2-4

Time:

1 hour 30 min

Difficulty:

Easy

Ingredients

• 2 golden beets
• 1 head of frisee lettuce
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (distilled)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon light say sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 fresh yuzu: first zest it and then juice it
• 1 small piece of ginger, grated
• salt, pepper to taste
• roasted pumpkin seeds for serving

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450F.
2. I washed and dried the beets. I wrapped them in aluminum foil and placed on a baking sheet and in the oven for about 45 min, until a fork easily pierces them. After they cooled, I used a teaspoon to scrape the skin off. I sliced them thin and arranged them on a plate.
3. The dressing is very easy – all the action takes place in a small blender (like a Magic Bullet). I’ve added to the blender the vinegar, the soy sauce, the honey, the yuzu (the zest and the juice), the sesame oil, a pinch of salt and an pinch of pepper and the grated ginger. Gave the whole mixture a good blending until very smooth.
4. The rinsed frisee was tossed with half the dressing and then placed on top of the sliced beets. I added a few roasted pumpkin seeds for texture but you can easily skip them or replace them with roasted pine nut or anything else that you prefer. I spooned more dressing over the beets and served.

Photos by my talented husband, Dariusz Terepka: https://www.dariuszterepka.photography/