Roasted Beet Napoleon

One of my favorite salads is the roasted beet napoleon served at Sojourn on the upper east side of Manhattan. I've been trying to recreate the taste of the beets and searching around the Internet for the recipe. I didn't find Sojourn's method but did find a beet Napoleon recipe from Wolfgang Puck that seemed a good place to start.

His pickling vinegar was rice wine and I found the flavor too mild compared to the earthy, heady flavor of Sojourn's beets. But, the method seemed accurate so I tried again with a strong sherry vinegar and that was much closer. I suspect I'm still missing an ingredient to fully replicate Sojourn's dish but this one is delicious in it's own right!

Ingredients
1 Red and 1 golden beet
1/2 Cup sherry vinegar
1/2 Cup sugar
4 oz. Low fat goat cheese
1 Tablespoon chives or scallions, chopped
4 Cups salad greens
1/4 Cup candied walnuts (see recipe below)
Creamy vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Salt & pepper to taste

Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately one hour or until the beets can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Allow to cool, peel and slice.

Heat the vinegar and sugar together in a pot and add the beet slices. Allow to simmer for approximately 5 minutes, remove from the pickling liquid and let cool.

Mix together the goat cheese and herbs. If you're using the low-fat cheese, as I did, it might be a bit dry and crumbly. You can add a tablespoon of low-fat milk to loosen the mixture. When the beets have cooled, spread a little of the herb cheese mixture on a slice of the golden beet, top with the red beet, spread on some more cheese mixture and finish with a slice of golden beet. Serve with a chopped salad and the nuts. Makes approximately 4 servings.

Creamy Vinaigrette
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon mustard
1 Tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1 Clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together all the ingredients until fully blended and creamy.

Candied Walnuts
1 Tablespoon light butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 Cup walnuts
Pinch of salt

Melt the butter and sugar together in a pan until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the walnuts and stir until fully coated and the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cool completely.