Smoked Beets Recipe with Goat Cheese Ranch
Smoking beets adds incredible flavor to this earthy root vegetable. The smoked beets are slowly smoked until tender, and then served with a creamy goat cheese ranch dip. This recipe was inspired by a restaurant dish I had at the Bird & The Bottle in Santa Rosa, California.
Servings: 4 people
Cost: $10.00
Ingredients
- 2 bunches fresh beets (a bunch will contain around 3 beets, try to keep the size of the beets consistent)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts, or your favorite nut or seed (chopped almonds, sesame seeds, also work well)
- ¼ cup micro greens (alternatively you can use arugula, butter lettuce, or endive leaves)
- 1/4 teaspoon finishing flaky salt
Goat Cheese Ranch
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (full fat Greek yogurt works well too)
- zest of one small lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Goat Cheese Ranch
- Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir to incorporate.
Smoked Beets
- Preheat your smoker to 275 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Try not to go above 300 if you want the smoky flavor.
- Place the beets in the smoker and close the lid. Continue Smoking for 2 hours or until the beets are soft. We use our Thermoworks One Thermapen to test for the texture and typically the internal temperature of the beet is around 205 – 210 degrees F. You can also test with a toothpick or knife, it should pierce with little effort.
- Remove the beets from the smoker, and let cool for 10 minutes. Then gently peel the skins off the beets, and dice into large chunks.
To Assemble the Salad
- Place the ranch on the bottom of a large plate.
- In a small bowl toss the cubed beets with olive oil, pine nuts, greens, and finishing salt. Place on top of ranch dip and serve.
Notes
Beets - If there aren't fresh beets, then buy them in singles. Be sure to buy consistent sized beets.
Ranch Dip -- for a more "ranch" flavored dip you can add some ranch seasoning to the dip in lieu of salt and dill. Start with a 1/2 teaspoon and taste to your preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 692mg | Potassium: 1253mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 4mg
