Salads are way more fun to eat if you put lots of goodies on them, and this Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad is no exception. I always make lots extra of all the good stuff and then keep it on hand all week, to encourage me to eat my greens. The beautiful jewel colored beets, rhubarb and orange segments hide in the greens like tiny dyed eggs, ready for us to find just in time for Easter Brunch. The cheese adds just a little cream to break up the acid and the pea leaves and mint are both seasonal and give the Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad something a little extra and unexpected in terms of texture and flavor. They’re so much more fun than just plain greens, but when I can’t find them, I use a mix of baby spinach and baby salad mix. I always try to make a salad that is so good it can hold its own against other strong and perhaps richer dishes. And this salad definitely did that. In fact, it was the only dish I made that was completely gone by the end of the meal. I was glad I roasted extra beets and pickled extra rhubarb because this Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad was gobbled up by my guests, but I enjoyed making it for lunch all week long with the extra veggies.
- 5 candy stripe beets
- 5 golden beets
- 3 stalks of rhubarb, sliced very thin with a mandoline or a knife
- 4-6 ounces French feta (sheep’s milk is more mild and fruity than goat)
- 1 large bag of pea leaves (or beet greens, baby lettuce, butter lettuce, etc.)
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 1 bunch mint
- 2 navel or cara cara oranges
- 2 blood oranges or grapefruits
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- white balsamic vinegar
- white vinegar
- granulated sugar
- Preheat over to 400° F. Trim the leaves off the beets and reserve for salad. Wrap the beets in a foil pouch and place on a cookie sheet or other heat safe vessel.
Roast them until you can poke a knife into them easily but they’re not mushy. The cooking time will vary widely based on how big the beets you selected are- check them every 20 minutes or so if you’re nervous (My medium sized beets took about 60 minutes to roast). - Let the beets cool until you can handle them. Then rub the skins off with your hands (Another nice part about the yellow beets is they don’t really stain your hands). Let them cool completely. Slice them into half moons.
- Using plain white vinegar and 4-6 tablespoons sugar, make a solution and soak the rhubarb for an hour before you want to use it.
- Drain well before putting on salad.
- Segment the oranges by cutting off all of the skin and pith. Then run your knife down each side of the membrane to release just the fruit.
- Chop ¼ - ½ cup mint.
- Toss the pea leaves, spinach and mint in a large salad bowl. Add olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Top with the beets, orange segments and rhubarb. Crumble the feta over the top. - When you’re ready to serve, toss thoroughly.
- Makes a large salad for 10-12 with extra beets and rhubarb
Barrett,
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve added it to the Farm Fresh Feasts Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks who love to eat from the farm share.
I appreciate it!
Thanks and “go” beets!