The cooler months make me crave some starchier vegetables and deeper flavors. This cool beet salad topped with warm poached egg is a great part of Sunday brunch.

There may not be much holiday cheer in Istanbul, but the city is still lit up like a Christmas tree.

And the magic indoors continues…

Beet & Dill Salad with Poached Egg and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

– 3-4 beets

– 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

– 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

– 1 tbsp lemon juice

– salt & pepper

– small handful chopped dill

– 1 tbsp chopped chives (I used scallions, but chives are better)

– goat cheese

– 1 egg

– 1 tbsp vinegar

– red pepper flakes for garnish

Serves: 2

Directions:

Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and pop them into the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. My beets were especially small, so I had to use a few more.

Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside with the chopped chives and dill.

When the beets are tender (can prick with a fork, but still hard enough to give some resistance), remove them from the oven, unwrap them, and let cool until you are able to remove the skins by rubbing your thumbs against the surface. The skin should slide off relatively easily.

Chop the beets into quarters and place them in a dish. Top with the olive oil mixture, dill, and chives and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This allows the dish to cool down as well as the beets to absorb the flavor.

Before you remove the beets from the refrigerator, prepare the poached egg.

Crack an egg in a small bowl (makes it easier to place in the water to cook) and wait until a pot of water has reached pre-simmering status, meaning it has not begun to bubble at the surface—simply to have bubbled a bit at the bottom of the pot and the top of the water is letting off a steam as if about to simmer.

When you reach that point, reduce the temperature of the stove so the water doesn’t begin to simmer or boil.

Add 1 tbsp of vinegar to the water (this helps the egg keep tight) and slide the egg into the water.

It will look a bit messy at first, but the egg will tighten and hold together. After 1 minute, remove the egg and place on top of the beet dish along with some goat cheese.

Season with a bit of red pepper flakes.

Voila!

Bon Appetit!

xo Aylin