Herb “Goat” Cheese Dip with Roasted Beets

Herb “Goat” Cheese Dip with Roasted Beets

I always have loved beets and my daughter does too - AND we have been getting beets for weeks in our farm box.  The one thing my daughter misses most though are the delicious goat cheese crumbles sprinkled on a beet salad.  We have been poring through our Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and my daughter was staring longingly at the Herbed Goat Cheese recipe - gorgeous layers of goat cheese with olive oil and fresh herbs - and I said, “we can do that!”  Her recipe was the inspiration for our low-lactose version of a creamy goat cheese - coupled with our roasted beets. The day before you make the “goat” cheese, you will want to drip the yogurt and farmer’s cheese.  I also make the beets a day ahead of time too because I like a cold beet salad. 

Prep Time: active time is 25 minutes. Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• Small strainer and small bowl

• 1 cup 24-hour yogurt or Greek yogurt

• 1 cup farmer’s cheese

• 6 medium-size beets, tops removed and scrubbed

• 1 tsp lemon

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp each of ground fennel, thyme and parsley (make sure your spices have no added starches)

• 1 cup of chopped walnuts (soaked for 20 minutes, rinsed and drained – optional)

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

• 1 TBSP red or white wine vinegar

Directions:

1. The day before (or the morning of) you want to prepare the “goat” cheese, mix together the yogurt and farmer’s cheese . Place a cloth napkin or cheese cloth over the small strainer and spoon the yogurt/cheese mixture into the cloth. Place the strainer over the small bowl and set in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size, until a small sharp knife slides easily into the beets.

4. Unwrap each beet and let cool for about 15 minutes. Take the peel off the beets with a small knife. Cut into 1-inch pieces and then place in the refrigerator to fully cool.

5. When ready to make the salad, remove the cheese from the refrigerator and take the yogurt/cheese solid and place in a separate bowl. Whisk in the lemon, sea salt and spices.

6. Arrange the cheese in the center of a plate

7. Toss the beets in a small bowl with 1 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP vinegar. Place the beets around the cheese. Sprinkle walnuts around the plate.

8. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the cheese.

9. Serve with your favorite crackers, side of falafel or simply eat as a salad!