Beet Appetizer Salad
Submitted by lindakay
Moroccan beet appetizer salad with herb-flecked beets and potatoes dressed separately in a chili-spiked olive oil vinaigrette. Composed with diced tomato, onion, and black olives. Vegan and bright.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis Moroccan-style beet salad takes humble root vegetables and turns them into a composed appetizer worthy of a starter course. Boiled beets are diced and tossed with diced tomato, Spanish onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Sliced boiled potatoes get their own toss in the same olive oil vinaigrette, then arranged in a ring around the beets for a striking red-and-white presentation.
The split-dressing approach is the structural key. Tossing both the beets and the potatoes in dressing separately means each element absorbs flavor without bleeding into the other. The beets keep their deep magenta intensity instead of turning the entire salad pink, and the potatoes pick up enough vinaigrette to taste seasoned without going purple.
The herbs are doing real work. Italian parsley brings a clean, peppery edge, and cilantro adds a citrusy, almost soapy brightness that cuts through the earthy beet sweetness. Use both, in roughly equal measure. Substituting one for the other tilts the whole salad in a different direction.
A red chili pepper in the dressing is the Moroccan move. Just enough heat to wake up the palate without overwhelming the sweet beets and starchy potatoes. Slice it thin and let it steep in the oil and vinegar for the chill.
Black olives on top are mandatory rather than decorative. Their salty, briny pop ties the whole salad together and provides the contrasting flavor that prevents the dish from reading too sweet.
Pro Tips
- Boil the beets in their skins. Skinning before cooking causes them to bleed out color and flavor into the water.
- Skin the tomatoes by scoring an X on the bottom and dunking briefly in boiling water. Cold tomato peel adds a leathery texture to the finished salad.
- Boil the potatoes whole and slice once cool. Diced raw potatoes lose their shape during boiling.
- Chill at least 30 minutes after dressing. Cold beets taste more concentrated, and the herbs need time to perfume the oil.
Variations
- Stir ground cumin into the dressing for a deeper North African flavor.
- Crumble feta or fresh goat cheese over the salad just before serving for a Mediterranean variation.
- Add diced hard-boiled egg around the perimeter for a more substantial meal salad.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut off ends of beets. Wash well and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and remove skins under running cold water.
Dice. Mix together the dressing ingredients. Combine beets in a salad bowl with the onion, tomato, garlic cilantro and parsley.
Pour over half the dressing, toss gently and chill for 30 minutes. Slice the potatoes, place in a shallow bowl and toss with remaining dressing.
Chill. When ready to assemble, arrange beets, tomato and onion in the centre of a shallow bowl and arrange potatoes in a ring around them.
Garnish with olives.
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