Beet and Herbed Goat Cheese Napoleons
This freshly roasted beet appetizer makes for a colorful – using red and gold beets, interlaced with herb-loaded goat cheese – and lively dish. While beet and goat cheese remains a pervasive dish, serving them as small or even bite-sized napoleons adds a little playfulness to them I think.
Red beets are very common and usually easy to find at most grocery stores. You might need to look a bit harder for golden/yellow beets.
You may want to find some latex gloves for preparation. While it is harmless and will eventually come out, the beet juice can turn your figures a pretty purple for a couple of hours. Soaking your fingers in lemon juice supposedly works, but if I am prepping for a dinner party I’d rather not waste the time.
Red & Golden Beet Napoleons
Roasted and rounded beets are layered with herby goat cheese for a lovely appetizer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 each Red beets.
- 2 each Golden beets. More red beets are fine if golden are not readily available.
- 8 oz Goat cheese Softened.
- 3 tbsp Mixed herbs. Can be any combination, but ones such as basil, parsley and thyme are great.
- 1 tsp Honey (optional). If your goat cheese is particularly tart you may want to sweeten it slightly.
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt (optional). If your goat cheese is particularly crumbly, you can add some yogurt to make it a bit more creamy and spreadable.
- Chopped nuts for garnish (optional) Roasted walnuts or pistachios, chopped and sprinkled on or around the napoleons can be a nice touch.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Scrub the beets underwater to clear out any residual dirt. Cut the dangly root end off and make sure the base (formerly attached to greens) is trimmed down and flat for the roast. Remove the goat cheese from the fridge and allow to soften.
- Separate the beets by color, if applicable. Place one color of the beets in a foiled lined pan, sprinkle a little olive oil over them and seal up in the foil. Repeat with other colors as necessary.
- Roast the sealed beets in the oven for about an hour to 90 min. They are ready when a knife pierces them easily but still have some firmness. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- While beets are cooling, chop fresh herbs if using and mix into softened goat cheese until well blended. Add honey and greek yogurt as needed or desired.
- Using latex gloves or paper towels to limit the staining of your fingers, peel the warm, but not hot beets, keeping the colors separate. Once peeled, slice to 1/8th to 1/4th inch rounds, using a sharp knife or mandoline if you have one available. Cut them into your desired shape. For bites, I prefer about 1-inch rounds, for an appetizer, I would go with a biscuit or cookie cutter about 2 inches across.
- To assemble, lay one layer of beet down. Spoon a small ball of goat cheese in the center and press a second later of beet on the cheese, alternating colors of beets. For the next napoleon, reverse the color order. Chill before serving.
- If using, sprinkle the roasted nuts on and around the napoleons. Also tasty with a small amount of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Nutrition
Calories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 6gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 107mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 420IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
