Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables and Greens
- 400 g red beets, unpeeled, scrubbed clean
- 150 g radishes, thinly sliced
- 100 g celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias
- 100 g watercress, washed, tough stems removed
Eggs
- 3 eggs, large
Tarragon Vinaigrette
- 45 ml olive oil, extra virgin
- 20 ml white wine vinegar
- 15 g shallot, finely minced
- 10 g dijon mustard
- 10 g fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 3 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Wrap the unpeeled beets individually in aluminum foil and place them in a baking dish. Roast until deeply tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water and boil for 7 minutes for a medium-jammy yolk. For a fully hard-boiled egg that reaches the food-safe internal temperature of 71°C/160°F, boil for 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs immediately to a bowl of ice water to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper. Vigorously whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until fully emulsified, then stir in the chopped fresh tarragon.
Once the roasted beets are cool enough to handle, use a paper towel or your fingers to rub off and discard their skins. Cut the peeled beets into bite-sized wedges on a cutting board. Peel the cooled eggs and cut them into quarters.
In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the beet wedges, sliced radishes, and sliced celery with half of the tarragon vinaigrette. Allow the vegetables to marinate for 5 minutes.
Immediately before serving, add the watercress to the large mixing bowl and fold it gently into the marinated vegetables. Transfer the salad to a serving platter, arrange the quartered eggs on top, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.
Chef's Notes
- Roasting beets in their skins concentrates their natural earthiness and sweetness, preventing them from becoming waterlogged the way boiling often does.
- Dressing the beets while they are still slightly warm from the oven allows them to absorb the tangy vinaigrette much more deeply than if they were fully cold.
- Plunging boiled eggs into an ice bath immediately stops the cooking process, ensuring a perfectly jammy center while making the shells significantly easier to remove.
- Keep the watercress completely separate until the absolute last moment; its tender structure cannot withstand the acid of the vinegar for more than a few minutes before collapsing.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store the vinaigrette separately from the vegetables to prevent wilting and color bleeding.
