With Thanksgiving coming up I should be blogging about pumpkin pies and turkey, but here I am sharing a salad recipe. It’s so silly of me, but this is one I shot/wrote a while back during the tail-end of kumquat season, saved a draft and never shared. Well, better late than never! This one is a nice balance of peppery (radishes and arugula), sweet (beets) and tangy (citrus and sherry vinegar). Plus, the black lentils make it hearty enough as a main. Hope you’ll try it. Feel free to substitute any type of citrus in place of kumquats.

Golden Beet and Black Lentil Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1 shallot, minced finely

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

3 tbsp sherry vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

Salad Ingredients

1 cup dried black lentils

1 bay leaf

4 golden beets, scrubbed and tops removed

4 cups arugula

4 radishes, sliced thinly on a mandolin

4 kumquats, sliced thinly on a mandolin

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together. I like to shake it all up in a mason jar.

2. Place lentils in a medium-sized pot. Cover lentils with 2 inches of water. Add a few pinches of salt (a little more than you think you need) and the bay leaf and bring the water to a boil over high. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and dress with a few spoonfuls of the vinaigrette. Set aside.

3. Similarly, place the beets in a medium-sized pot. Cover beets with 3 inches of water. Add a few pinches of salt and bring the water to a boil over high. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes or until the beets are tender and easy to pierce. Drain, run under cold water, and rub the skins off. Cut the beets into 1 inch chunks and dress with a few spoonfuls of vinaigrette. Set aside.

4. The lentils, beets, and dressing can be made ahead of time. When you are ready to serve the salad, dress remaining ingredients. To plate, use the lentils and beets as a base and top with arugula, radish, and kumquat. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Serves 4