This salad is fresh and light, with a nice blend of sweet and earthy flavors, bright acidity and tangy richness. You can substitute whatever fresh herbs (oregano? marjoram?) you like for the tarragon. Save the beet greens and use them in another recipe. On the day this photo was taken, I braised the beet greens and served them with some mustard roast pork.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of beets
• 2-3 oz. goat’s cheese (or omit to keep this recipe vegan)
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 T. tarragon, chopped
• 1 t. Dijon mustard
• pepper to taste
• Sherry (or apple cider) vinegar for pickling

Begin by slicing or shaving the beets very thinly. This is most easily done on a mandolin, but you can use a sharp knife and a little patience to achieve good results.

Place the beets in a shallow bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Leave to pickle for one hour (or more, if you like), then drain and reserve the vinegar.

In a smaller bowl whisk together the olive oil, finely chopped tarragon, Dijon and 2 T. of the vinegar or more to taste. Lightly dress the beets with the mixture and sprinkle with crumbled goat’s cheese.