Roasted Beets and Fennel Salad with Candied Hazelnuts

45 mins Prep Time

2 hours 0 mins Cook Time

Written By

Vicky Tran

Making this salad is like participating in a well-choreographed dance in the kitchen. A few premeditated steps, a thorough understanding of every move and a commitment to the bigger picture as you stay on task will reward you in an end product greater than the sum of all individual parts. A troupe of individually inspired components such as sweet roasted beets and fennel, juicy citrus segments, subtly tart dill vinaigrette, and baby shards of candied hazelnuts come together to create a visual masterpiece worthy of any restaurant setting. The cooking time on this one may seem a bit much, but the majority of it is inactive and hands-off cooking time, so consider doing the roasting a day (even days!) ahead without much compromise to quality which would make the final assembly a cinch.

Ingredients

Roasted Beets and Fennel Salad

1 ½ pounds baby rainbow beets, trimmed and cleaned
1 large fennel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional as required
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Kosher salt, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
2 blood oranges (or regular oranges), cut into individual segments

Candied Hazelnuts

1 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted with skins removed
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Roasted Beets and Fennel Salad with Candied Hazelnuts

5 Steps

Step 1

Group the baby rainbow beets according to colour (red beets, yellow beets, pink beets), ideally all of the beets will be around the same size no bigger than a tangerine which will allow for the same cooking time. Tear aluminium foil pieces large enough to eventually wrap each group of beets tightly. Place each group of beets in the centre of a piece of aluminium foil, drizzle a bit of olive oil and then wrap tightly, securing at the top. Repeat this process with all the beets then place on a roasting tray and roast in a preheated 350°F for 1 ½ - 2 hours or until the beets are cooked (you should be able to poke a toothpick through to the centre without much resistance). Once they are ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool just until they can be handled. Use a paper towel and peel back the skins, they should slip off quite easily. Cut each beet into ½ cm thick slices or wedges as desired and set aside until ready to assemble salad.
Step 2

Halve the fennel from top to bottom, then carefully cut each half into wedges approximately ¾ cm thick with the centre root still intact on each wedge. Lay the wedges on a roasting pan, drizzle each with olive oil and lightly season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover tightly with foil and roast in the same oven as the beets for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and continue roasting for another 15 minutes. The fennel should be cooked through and softened with some browning on the edges. Set aside until ready to assemble salad.
Step 3

While the beets and fennel are roasting, prepare the candied hazelnuts: soak the toasted whole hazelnuts in water for 20 minutes. Drain and then toss with the confectioner's sugar as well as the kosher salt. Toss the nuts so that they are evenly coated, the sugar will form a loose coating around each nut. Spread evenly on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, separating each individual nut as much as possible and roast in the same 350°F oven as the beets and fennel for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool entirely before roughly chopping.
Step 4

To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, honey, grainy mustard and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine, then slowly stream in the olive oil until fully incorporated and emulsified. Add the chopped dill and mix well.
Step 5

To assemble: lay the wedges of roasted fennel on a serving platter, followed by the roasted beet slices, then the blood orange segments. Spoon over the lemon and dill vinaigrette then sprinkle the candied hazelnuts.