Fresh beetroot, goat's cheese, walnut and prosciutto salad

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be given some fresh beetroot from my cousin Melanie's garden. Danke  Melanie! It got me thinking about how I would eat it. 

I decided to simply simmer the beetroot until it was tender, and toss into a salad with rocket, walnuts, goat's cheese and some crispy prosciutto. This was so good; the tender beetroot with its sweetness and vibrant ruby colour, the soft and tart goat's cheese, crunchy walnuts and crispy prosciutto and rocket. This is texture heaven. If you can't get a hold of any fresh beetroot, you could substitute for tinned, whole baby beetroot.

*The ingredients picture below and the recipe includes avocado, which I had intended to put in my 
salad, but I completely forgot. 

What you'll need

Serves two people for a light lunch or as a side salad with fish or chicken.

Salad
2 medium-sized, fresh beetroot
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped into chunks
4 - 6 thin slices prosciutto
50g goat's cheese
2 cups rocket, or whatever salad green you prefer
1/2 cup walnuts, I didn't chop my walnuts, but you can if you like

Dressing
3tbs olive oil
2tbs balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

What to do

Place a medium pot of water on the stove to boil. While this is heating, washing beetroot under water to remove dirt. Cut off stalks and roots close to the beetroot. Discard stalks. If you do this under running water your hands won't be stained. Otherwise, wear some disposable gloves.

Cut beetroot into quarters (or halves if they are small), and place into simmering water. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until beetroot are tender and pierce easily with a skewer or knife. Drain and cool. I like the skin on my beetroot, but if you prefer you can easily peel it away after it is cooked.

While the beetroot is cooking, heat a pan to medium, then cook the prosciutto slices, turning once, until crispy. This should take about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. The prosciutto will crisp up more once it is no longer hot.

Assemble the salad.

Place the rocket on the bottom of a bowl or plate. Top with the cooled pieces of beetroot (4 or 5 pieces each), then avocado, prosciutto, walnuts and goat's cheese. Drizzle over vinegar and oil, sprinkle a little salt and black pepper. Super super beetroot and lots of other soft and crunchy ingredients made this lovely to eat.