Beet, Blood Orange, Irish Goat Cheese, and Hazelnut Salad

Taken from Clodagh’s Irish Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna. Published by Kyle Books, 2015, priced $29.95. Photography by Tara Fisher. Reprinted with permission.

• Servings: 2.

This recipe is from Clodagh's Irish Kitchen, by Clodagh McKenna.

This salad is so pretty, as well as being very easy on the palate, full of fresh, zesty flavors, and crunchy textures. Blood oranges are so tangy and bring such juiciness to this dish, but if you can’t get hold of them, regular oranges or pink grapefruit could also be used. The goat cheese could be substituted with feta for a saltier flavor, if you like. Make double the quantity of the orange dressing, as it’s a real winner over any salad.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole skinned hazelnuts
• 1/2 fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 blood orange, peeled and segmented
• 31/2 ounces cooked peeled beet, quartered and sliced into thin wedges
• 4 ounces mixed salad greens
• 3 1/2 ounces Irish or other goat cheese, crumbled
• For the Orange Dressing:
• 1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon golden honey
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and chop coarsely.
2. Make the dressing: In a bowl, place all the ingredients and beat together.
3. In a salad bowl, combine the fennel, orange, beet, and salad greens, pour over the dressing, and toss lightly. Sprinkle the cheese and roasted hazelnuts on top and serve.

400° F