Beet, Fennel and Fig Salad With Cranberry-Sage Dressing
Published November 29, 2011
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CRANBERRY-SAGE DRESSING
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 fresh sage leaf, chopped
⅓ cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon sea salt
FOR THE SALAD
1 pound fresh beets
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and halved
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup pecans
½ pound baby arugula
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced (optional)
6 fresh figs, cut into wedges
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
36 grams carbs; 404 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 757 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 25 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
To make the dressing, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook, stirring, until they are softened and begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a blender. Add the vinegar, rosemary, sage, water, maple syrup, salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and process until smooth.
- Step 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 3
Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and put them on a baking sheet. Put the fennel on a separate baking sheet, cut side up, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Put the beets and fennel in the oven and roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes for the fennel, and 50 to 60 minutes for the beets. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut into thin slices, and cut the fennel into very thin slices.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 5
Put the arugula in a large bowl, add the beets, fennel, pecans and optional pear, and gently toss together. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter the figs over the salad. Alternatively, divide the arugula evenly among salad plates, placing it to one side of the plate. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter the pecans on top. Arrange the beets, fennel, figs and optional pear alongside the arugula and serve at once.
Private Notes
Comments
I love everything about this salad. Easy, tasty, healthy. I love pecans, just not in a salad. I used dates instead.
I love all the ingredients in the salad. I did not like the dressing. A simple shallot dressing would be better. Use a flavored balsamic if you want something different.
There are some delicious flavors in this salad, but they all kind of get lost in each other. In particular, the figs are just drowned out, unless you gobble them up first on the plate. The pears are a totally unnecessary redundancy. It’s also a lot of work for a salad that is still probably not a standalone meal. I will make parts of this again - caramelizing fennel for a salad was a revelation, and the dressing is pretty solid - but I doubt I will make this in its entirety a second time.
All I’m thinking is, why on earth did I roast that fennel? Would have been nicer raw.
This is an interesting salad, a lot going on. I decided (before reading comments) that dressing was too much trouble and probably overkill. I cut recipe down for the two of us, 1 beet, 1/2 fennel bulb, no pear because didn’t have and didn’t think necessary. Otherwise followed recipe. For dressing, a little shallot, chopped rosemary, s&p, olive oil and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Dressing was nice, personally don’t like too much dressing. Tossed everything together with arugula, figs on top.