Ingredients:

3 small to medium beets
4 oz goat cheese (I used honey flavored)
2 tbs flour
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup panko
veg oil (for frying)
balsamic glaze or reduction
*if you don’t have either of the above make your own by adding 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar + a couple of tbs of honey in a small saucepan over low-med heat for about 10mins until the sauce reduces/thickens. If you are making your own be sure to do it just before you are serving or it can get too sticky to drizzle or even get out of the pan. If you are having trouble cleaning the pan later, add a bit of water and warm on the stove until the mixture starts to dissolves/liquify again.

Optional Ingredients:

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 F
Rinse your beets and trim off the greens. Then wrap each in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet on the middle rack.
Bake them for about 40mins to 1hr until they are fork-tender.
Remove them from the foil and allow them to cool a bit so they are easier to handle. Then peel their skins off and slice into roughly 1/4” rounds. You may want to use kitchen gloves for this part as to not stain your hands. Set these aside.

Now let’s start the goat cheese. Begin by slicing it into even rounds, dust with the flour (I slightly seasoned my flour with some S&P), dip into the beaten egg, and finally into your panko crumbs. Repeat this until all your cheese slices are coated. Then let them chill in the fridge for about 30mins.
To cook them heat about a 1/4” of veg oil in a pan. It’s important not to start placing your cheese in the pan until the oil is hot though or they will just absorb all that excess oil.
So when the oil is hot fry a few pieces at a time for about 2-3 mins each side until golden brown. Move them to a paper towel to blot away excess oil and repeat this process until all your cheese is fried.
At this point, you could just enjoy the beets and fried goat cheese with a drizzle of balsamic glaze on their own. However, I had some kale on hand I also wanted to use to make this a more filling lunch.
If you wish to enjoy over kale or other mixed greens (as I did) I suggest dressing them with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a bit of your balsamic glaze, and salt & pepper. Arrange alternating slices of beets & fried goat cheese on top of your dressed greens, finish with another drizzle of balsamic, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Add a slice of toasted baguette and you have a delightful meal.

July '20 - Roasted Beets & Fried Goat Cheese