Roasted beets with goat cheese

Roasted beets are beautifully pared with the slightly tart nature of goat cheese.Here, the cheese is flavoured with dried cranberries and finely chopped pecans. 

Roasted beet halve with goat cheese

The creamy smoothness of this goat cheese filling together with the somewhat sweet-tasting roasted beet provides a very satisfying mouth-feel. This is a delicious entree.

Set oven to 425℉  (220℃)

                                                                                  Yield: 2 servings

Beets, cleaned and ready for cooking

Ingredients:

1 beet root, 5 cm. (3 in.) in diameter

3-4 tablespoons plain goat cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil mayonnaise

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

8 pecan halves

1. Brush and thoroughly wash beet. Place in pre-heated oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes. The beet is cooked when fork tines can easily be slipped into the beet. 

2. Remove beet from oven to a lidded, heat-proof container and leave to cool. Condensation will collect inside the container. This is beneficial for it will soften the skin for peeling.

3. In a small mixing bowl, place the goat cheese, mayonnaise and olive oil. Combine until smooth.

4. Chop the cranberries to a small dice. Add to cheese mixture. 

5. Chop pecan halves to a fine dice. Add 1 tablespoon of the diced pecans to the cheese mixture, reserving the remainder for garnish.

6. Combine the pecans, cranberries and cheese mixture. Set aside.

7. Carefully peel the beet. Slice away the crown (where the stalks grew) so that the beet can sit squarely on its top end. Slice away the root end, just enough so that the beet can sit squarely on its base. Setting the beet on a side, cut it in half across the middle. 

8. Place the bottom half on its base. Place the top half resting on the cut where the crown was. Scoop out about 1 cm. (less than ½ in.) of the middle flesh of each half, creating a small bowl-shape in each. Fill each beet half with about a tablespoon of the goat cheese mixture.

8. Garnish with reserved diced pecan. Place each beet half on a small serving plate.

Roasted beet with goat cheese filling for two