Popeye was so wrong!  Spinach doesn't have near the iron they thought when the cartoon started…but beets…there's a real heavy weight.

This salad is wonderful, delicious, and looks great when serving.  Once again I use a slow cooker to get around heating up the kitchen but you could definitely just use the canned sliced beets or of course roast them in your oven until tender.   I usually cook the beets the day before and allow to cool over night in the fridge.

This salad is especially pretty when you mix the gold and red beets.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad Stacks

Origin: Me

Ingredients:

1.5 lb small beets

6 oz goat cheese

1 Tbsp sour cream or heavy cream

1/4  cup finely chopped chives

2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dark brown sugar

A few toothpicks

Directions:

Wash the beets and remove tops.

Line slow cooker with aluminum foil and place beets in the cooker.  This is to ease cleanup.

The Beets:

Turn slow cooker on low and allow to roast slowly over next three hours or until tender.  The time it takes could be less depending on the beets.  To test insert a toothpick or knife into the beet.  The beet should feel tender all the way to the center.  As soon as the beets are done remove and allow to cool.

When beets are cooled slice into 1/2 inch slices.

The Glaze:

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan.  Stir in the brown sugar.  Stick a toothpick into the center of the vinegar.  You are doing this to measure so keep it straight.

Heat the vinegar on LOW for about one hour.  You want the vinegar to reduce to about half to a quarter the original amount depending on your preference for thickness.  You can measure by inserting a clean toothpick in the same place and comparing to the first toothpick.  The very minimum for me is the reduction coats the back of a spoon and when I run my finger across the back of the spoon the sauce does not immediately fill back in the line.

Allow to cool.

The Cheese:

Mix together the goat cheese, sour or heavy cream (I use whichever I have on hand). Set a few chives aside for garnish and mix the rest in with the cheese mixture.

The Assembly:

On a small plate place one slice of beet.  Top with a 1/2 teaspoon of cheese mixture.  Add another slice of beet, then cheese mixture and a last slice of beet.  Top with 1/2 teaspoon of cheese, a sprinkle of chives and a small pouring of glaze.  Continue with next stacked salad.

Additional Notes:

I usually make a  large batch of the glaze and keep it in my fridge in a cute little bottle.  It stores very well.  It's great on tomatoes with basil and fresh mozzarella too.