When I think of crunchy things in salad, I typically think of croutons, shaved carrots, shredded cabbage - not cashew brittle. That is, not until I ordered the roasted beet salad at 900 Wall, a favorite restaurant of ours in Bend.
First I tried to re-create the salad at home with roasted beets, crumbled nuts, blue cheese and a drizzle of honey. I thought that the sweetness of honey and crunch of nuts would mimic the nut brittle - but, no magic. The key to this salad is the brittle.
I've always enjoyed the salty sweet crunch of nut brittle, but assumed it was complicated to make. But, guess what? It's not. Make this recipe and, as a bonus you'll have lots of brittle left over, which your friends and neighbors won't mind (if you decide to share).
Once you have the brittle, making the beet salad takes almost no effort. Just roast the beets in their skin - so easy to peel once they're tender - 2 medium size beets per person, wrapped in foil then roasted at 400°F for an hour. Peel the beets once their cool enough to handle or pop them in the fridge until the next day.
Slice the beets and arrange on a plate with a generous handful of crumbled blue cheese (I used Saint Agur because it was on sale at the market), pinch of salt and swirl of olive oil, sprinkle of coarsely chopped brittle and you're ready to eat. We've had this salad with the beets cold from the fridge or at room temperature - it's delicious either way.
Roasted Beet Salad with Cashew Brittle and Creamy Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 medium beets about 1 ½ pounds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 2 ounces cashew brittle coarsely chopped (see Recipe Notes for recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Wash and trim tops and bottoms of beets and wrap in foil. Place foil wrapped beets in a glass baking dish to catch any drips. Roast for one hour or until beets are tender. Remove from oven.
- When beets are cool enough to handle, peel (using a paper towel makes it easy) and thinly slice. Arrange ¼ of the beet slices, slightly overlapping in a spiral on one serving plate. Repeat with remaining slices.
- To finish, drizzle each salad with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and ¼ of the blue cheese and cashew brittle. Serve.
What a great beet salad, Marissa! Love the brittle!
Ooh I love this idea! I can just taste the sublime, tender texture of the roasted beets contrasting with the crunchy brittle. Plus the sweet and salty thing is awesome!
Yes, I'm all about the sweet and salty. 😉 Thanks, my friend.
This is SO gorgeous! First of all, I LOVE beets! Paired with blue cheese, and they're even better! But then you went and threw in that incredible cashew brittle and you just sent this dish to a whole new level! Perfection!
haha, yes a crescendo of flavor and texture - my favorite. 🙂
What a flavor sensation and the textures, wow. Love the idea and the playful sweet and salty aspect. I just recently tried beets again and have enjoyed them dressed up in salads. Mmmmm, this looks so good!
Thanks, Kevin. I love them in salads too, pickled and plain.
Oh wow this salad, is GORGEOUS, Marissa!! I would have never thought to put brittle in a salad, but I bet it tastes seriously amazing with the roasted beets and blue cheese!!! Talk about loads of fabulous flavor! Can't wait to try this! Cheers, friend!
Thank you, my friend!
Oh Marissa -this salad had my eyes buggin outta my head! I adore beets and enjoying them with cashew brittle is something I so need to do! Thanks so much for this recipe!
I thought of you when making this, Shashi! You have so many great beet recipes on your blog!
You come up with some fabulous salad recipes, Marissa. This sounds beyond amazing with that crunchy brittle and sharp cheese.
Don't you just love it when you get inspiration from eating out?
Aww, thanks so much Helen. Yes, I do love that - especially when we're traveling and dishes are absolutely new to me.
That cashew brittle is so unique! I'm always looking for ways to change up a regular beet salad. And blue cheese is my bae, sooo... Looks like I'll be giving this one a try! 🙂
Awesome! If you try it, please let me know how goes.
Marissa,
Janet says YUM! You know me and beets... I like your line that says: "Make this recipe and, as a bonus you’ll have lots of brittle left over, which your friends and neighbors won’t mind (if you decide to share)." I am so nice, I will share(gladly give) my salad to the neighbors and keep their share of brittle. Fair enough...Right??
Tom
Oh yes, I do know you and beets. That's why I added the brittle - just for you. 😉
Oh wow, does this sound amazing! I love sweet/salty flavors going on in a salad and the use of brittle here was genius. Love the addition of blue cheese too!
Thank you, sweet Faith!
Hi Marissa! I think I've mentioned that I'm not a true fan of beets, but I do like pickled beets. Do you think they would work here? I think the flavor would go well with the blue cheese and, of course, the brittle!
What a great idea, Dorothy! I'd recommend serving the mixture on a bed of butter lettuce or romaine (still letting the beets be the star) to balance the delicious but intense flavors.