This roasted beet salad with citrus and crème fraîche brings restaurant-quality elegance to your home table. Perfect for special occasions when you want to impress. It's a stunning plate of jewel-toned beets artfully arranged with pink grapefruit and orange segments atop a delicate dollop of something creamy. This beet salad has perfectly balanced flavors that are sweet, earthy, and juicy. It's so unique and worth the 90 minutes it takes to make it.
If I had to move and could only take 5 of my cookbooks, Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking by Naomi Pomeroy and Jamie Feldmar would have to go with me. It's a beautifully photographed, James Beard Award-winning cookbook full of seasonally paired recipes. This recipe is a simpler version of their Roasted Beets and Pink Grapefruit with Frisée and Mint Crème Fraîche recipe.
The salad components can be prepared ahead making it easy and practical. I have provided some additional shortcuts if you need to save time. I hope you are pleased with the results.
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What Does Beet Salad Taste Like?
This beet salad has notes of mineral, sweet, tangy, and creamy, followed by a bitter bite from the arugula. The mint melds the flavors together and will make you think it's part salad or part dessert.
Is This Salad For You?
This recipe is for the home entertainer:
- You love hosting dinner parties where the food is as much about presentation as taste.
- You love unique flavors coming together.
- You're willing to spend extra time on a dish that will give rise to "wows" when brought to the table.
- You have great satisfaction in creating a restaurant-quality dish at home.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients to make this roasted beet salad with citrus and crème fraîche.
- Beets: A root vegetable with a mineral flavor profile. Harvested in early summer and fall, the most common color is red, but there are other less earthy-tasting varieties such as gold, white, and candy cane striped. If their greens are attached, they should be bright and fresh. Avoid old beets that will look dehydrated, faded, or soft. For more details about how to cook beets, check out this Roasted Beets In Foil recipe.
- Citrus fruit: Bite-sized segments of grapefruit and oranges. I suggest using a combination of navel oranges with ruby red or pink grapefruit.
- Crème Fraîche: This is a delicious, thick, cultured fresh cream that tastes buttery and slightly tart. With its high fat content, it is used in sauces and incorporated into desserts. You can make homemade crème fraîche or buy this product from Vermont Creamery.
- Mint: This fresh herb is bright and aromatic. It can be combined with other soft herbs like cilantro, Italian parsley, chives, and basil. During the summer, it is easy to grow in a pot. It's not advised to plant in the ground as it aggressively spreads by runners. It's not a winter herb, which makes it a bit pricey to source during the winter.
- Arugula Salad Mix: Arugula is soft, spicy, and bitter. I recommend buying a mix that contains other soft salad mixes like this Organic Girl Super Greens to help balance that bitterness. You can also substitute spring salad mix for arugula.
- Shallot: A small, pink-skinned onion that grows in the form of a bulb-like garlic with 1-4 cloves to the cluster. They are more delicate and mild than red onions and will store for many weeks in the pantry.
- Garlic: Real garlic, not the jarred stuff.
- Red Wine Vinegar: This vinegar, derived from fermenting red wine, can be quite tangy. I try to source red wine vinegar from California and recommend this one from Katz Farms or this Napa Valley Naturals.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Taste various olive oils to find the one that you like the best. My favorite is from California Olive Ranch.
See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
What Flavors Go Well with Roasted Beets?
- Bold salad greens like arugula, radicchio, escarole, and endive
- Orange and pink grapefruit
- Avocado
- Red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar
- Carrots
- Creamy cheeses like goat, feta, and blue
- Bacon
- Dairy products, including ricotta, crème fraîche, sour cream, and plain yogurt
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400℉.
Step 1: Place each beet on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil and roast on a baking sheet for 45 to 90 minutes, or until fork-tender. The cooking time will depend on the size of the beets.
Step 2: Remove the beets from the oven, open the foil, and drain their juices into a bowl. When the beets are cool to the touch, peel off the skins using paper towels in the kitchen sink. Store different varieties separately.
Step 3: Cut the beets into wedges and add them to their reserved beet juice along with 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. If the beets have been made ahead and stored in the refrigerator, remove them an hour before assembling so they can return to room temperature
Step 4: In a small lidded container like a mason jar, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt, and pepper. Shake to combine and set aside.
Step 5: To make the mint crème fraîche, combine the minced shallots and the red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Let them mellow in the vinegar for 15 minutes.
Step 6: Using a knife, finely chop the mint leaves with salt. Make a mint paste by rocking your knife back and forth.
Step 7: Make a garlic paste by finely chopping the garlic clove with salt. Smash the garlic and salt with the side of your knife, then rock your knife back and forth.
Step 8: Strain the red wine vinegar from the shallots using a fork.
In a bowl, add the crème fraîche, strained shallots, garlic paste, mint paste, and black pepper.
Step 9: Stir to combine and taste to see if additional salt is needed.
Step 10: To assemble, use chilled salad plates and spoon the mint creme fraiche in a corner.
Step 11: With the back of a spoon, swoop the crème fraîche across the plate.
Step 12: Dress the arugula salad mix with a portion of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Arrange a small handful of greens over the crème fraîche. Make sure you can still see the crème fraîche underneath, then add the beets and citrus segments across the greens. Finish the salad by adding small, whole mint leaves strategically around the beets. Serve immediately.
Salad Assembly Tips
- This salad is best served on individual salad plates rather than buffet style.
- Chill your plates in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Arugula is tender and does not need a lot of vinaigrette. It's better to underdress the leaves and add more as needed rather than add the entire jar at once.
- A salad dressed right before serving is best to maintain freshness. Unfortunately, leftover arugula that has vinaigrette on it does not keep well.
- Ask your friend or family member to help you plate the components. It's fun!
Make-Ahead Instructions
- You can roast the beets, cut them into wedges, and prepare the vinaigrette and citrus segments up to 3 days in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
- Mix the crème fraîche up to one day in advance and store in the refrigerator.
- Remove the mint leaves that will be used as garnish from their stems up to a day before serving. Store them wrapped in a paper towel inside a zip lock bag or in their original store-bought clamshell.
- Once fully assembled, the salad is best enjoyed right away.
FAQ
Roasted salmon, chicken, pork chops, or beef make great pairings to this salad.
It is in the artisan cheese area next to the deli or the dairy section of the store.
If you can't find crème fraîche, try making your own with this Crème Fraîche Recipe. If you don't have time to make your own, sour cream is a good substitute.
I suggest using paper towels to help you peel beets or wearing disposable gloves to minimize stained hands.
You can buy pre-cooked and vacuum-sealed beets and save up to an hour of prep time. I will mention that my family tried them, and we like the home-cooked beets so much better. It's worth it to roast your own.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and ⭐️ rating below to let us know how it turned out! Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus and Crème Fraîche
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 24 ounces beets (4-8 beets depending on their size )
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 ounces arugula salad mix
- 6 ounces supremed citrus segments (1 grapefruit, 2 oranges or both)
- ½ ounce fresh mint leaves
Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced shallots
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Mint Creme Fraiche
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ½ ounce fresh mint leaves (see notes)
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to make the mint paste)
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to make the garlic paste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces crème fraîche
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 400℉
- Place each beet on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil and roast on a baking sheet for 45 to 90 minutes, or until fork-tender. The cooking time will depend on the size of the beets.
- Remove the beets from the oven, open the foil, and drain their juices into a bowl. When the beets are cool to the touch, peel off the skins using paper towels in the kitchen sink. Store different varieties separately.
- Cut the beets into wedges and add them to their reserved beet juice along with 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
- If you are using chilled citrus cups, drain the water or juice from them and keep them refrigerated until assembly. If you plan to segment a whole grapefruit or orange, see recipe notes below.
Vinaigrette
- In a small lidded container like a mason jar, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt, and pepper.
- Shake to combine and set aside.
Mint Crème Fraîche
- Combine the minced shallots and the red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Let them mellow in the vinegar for 15 minutes.
- Using a knife, finely chop the mint leaves with salt. Make a mint paste by rocking your knife back and forth.
- Make a garlic paste by finely chopping the garlic clove with salt. Smash the garlic and salt with the side of your knife, then rock your knife back and forth.
- Strain the red wine vinegar from the shallots.
- In a bowl, add the crème fraîche, strained shallots, garlic paste, mint paste and black pepper. Stir to combine and taste to see if some additional salt is needed.
Assembly
- If the beets have been stored in the refrigerator, remove them an hour before assembling so they can return to room temperature.
- Dress the arugula salad mix with a portion of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Arugula is tender and does not need a lot of vinaigrette. It's better to underdress the leaves and add more as needed rather than add the entire jar at once.
- On chilled salad plates, spoon the mint crème fraîche in a corner. With the back of a spoon, swoop it across the plate.
- Arrange a small handful of greens over the crème fraîche. Make sure you can still see the crème fraîche underneath.
- Arrange the beets and citrus segments across the greens. Finish the salad by adding small, whole mint leaves strategically around the beets so that it's appealing to your eye. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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