Fried Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients

Blackberry Balsamic Reduction

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 6 oz blackberries

Roasted Beets

• 4 cups ¾ in diced beets (Superior Foods Featured Item: #7589 – (Garden Cut)
• ¼ cub olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Fried Goat Cheese

• 1 8.5 oz goat cheese log, at room temp, sliced or broken into small pieces
  ½ cup flour
  2 eggs, beaten smooth
  1 cup panko bread crumbs (Superior Foods Featured Item: #44195 – (Kikkoman)
  Oil for frying

Salad and Assembly

• 5-7 oz arugula
• Roasted beets
• Fried goat cheese pieces
• 6 oz blackberries, sliced in half
• Blackberry balsamic reduction for dressin

Preparation

Blackberry Balsamic  Reduction

1. Place vinegar, maple syrup, and blackberries in a small saucepan, gently crush some of the berries with the back of a spoon, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
2. Allow glaze to gently simmer, stirring occasionally. When glaze has reduced by ⅓ to ½ and costs the back of a spoon, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Pour glaze through a fine mesh strainer, and allow to cool further.  It will thicken as it cools.

Roasted Beets

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Toss beets in a bowl with oil, salt and pepper. Place them evenly across the sheet pan, making sure not to overcrowd. Roast beets for about 35 minutes. Remove sheet pan and allow to cool slightly.

Fried Goat Cheese

1. Prepare 3 dishes or bowls, one with the flour, one with the egg wash,  and one with the panko. Working one at a time, roll each goat cheese piece in the flour first, making sure it’s completely covered. Then the egg wash, and last your panko. It helps to designate one hand for the handling. Once every pieces is breaded set them aside on a plate for frying.
2. Place ½ in of oil in a saute pan and heat over med heat. Working in batches, to not overcrowd, fry goat cheese, turning as needed until golden brown and crispy. 1-2 minutes per side. Drain pieces on paper towel and allow to cool a bit. Cut some of the pieces in half to expose the white filling.

Salad & Assembly

1. In a large bowl, toss roasted beets with arugula. Split salad mixture onto 4 dishes, and top with fried goat cheese pieces, blackberry halves, and blackberry balsamic reduction.

Tips

Soft goat cheese can be hard to work with. You can either try to slice it into discs, roll it into balls, or just cut and break off random size pieces. Getting the pieces into the flour will make it easier to work with the pieces and form them into whatever shape you’d like.