Chef Christian Hallowell, Customer Dedicated Executive Chef for Delta Air Lines, gategroup shares his beet salad recipe with candied pecans.

Beet Salad with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
Per Serving
  • 3 oz.  Salt Roasted Root Vegetables (recipe follows)
  • 2 oz.  Honey Whipped Ricotta (recipe follows)
  • 0.75 oz. Serrano Ham
  • 0.5 oz. Candied Pecans
  • 4 ea. Breakfast Radish, shaved ⅛”
  • 10 ea. Micro Herbs
  • Cracked Pepper
Salt Roasted Root Vegetables
  • 1 lb.  Baby red beets, washed, tops trimmed and left unpeeled
  • 1 lb. Baby turnips, washed, tops trimmed and left unpeeled
  • 1 cup Kosher Salt
  • 0.5 cup  White Balsamic Vinegar
Honey Whipped Ricotta
  • 12 oz. Fresh ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz. Heavy whipping cream
  • 2 oz. Truffle honey (any flavored honey will work)
  • To taste – kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Portion Honey Whipped Ricotta cheese across the center of a plate.
  2. Place the Serrano ham over and around the ricotta cheese.
  3. Place the Salt Roasted beets and turnips around the ham.
  4. Place the pecans and radish in between the vegetables.
  5. Finish with an extra drizzle of honey and a few turns of the pepper mill.
  6. Top with micro greens.
Salt Roasted Root vegetables
  1. Place ½ cup of salt in a 1×1 section of aluminum foil
  2. Place the beets and turnips on top of the salt next to one another. Cover with the remainder of the salt.
  3. Close the foil around the beets and roast in 375°F oven for 30 min.
  4. Remove the root vegetables for the oven and test for doneness with the tip of a small knife. The vegetables should be tender.
  5. Remove the beets and turnips from the foil and rinse gently under cool water to remove the salt. The skin from the vegetables can easily be removed with a paper towel under running water.  Trim the tips with a paring knife.
  6. After the vegetables are peeled, quarter into 4 sections. Set the beets aside.
  7. Place the turnips in a small bowl and add ½ cup of white balsamic vinegar. The turnips should marinate in the vinegar for approx. 20 min. Remove the turnips from the vinegar and set aside.
Honey Whipped Ricotta
  1. Combine the ricotta, heavy cream, and honey in a large bowl and whip using a whisk until light and fluffy, about 1 minute (or place in a bowl and whip using a hand-held mixer until light and fluffy.