Recipe courtesy of Fisher Nuts

7-Layer Salad with Pine Nut Pesto, Bacon and Roasted Beets with Toasty Almonds

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  • Total: 1 hr
  • Yield: 8-10

Ingredients

Pesto:

Dressing:

Layers:

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the beets and remove the stem and root ends. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil so that the opening is at the top of the beets. Roast for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center enters easily. While the beets are roasting, spread the almonds onto a baking sheet and bake in the same oven for 6 minutes or until the nuts appear toasted. Prepare the hardboiled eggs by placing the eggs into a saucepan that is large enough to hold them in a single layer. Top with cold water until the eggs are submerged and there is 1 inch of water above them. Heat over medium-high heat. When the water comes to a rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat, cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool before peeling. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and set aside.

Make the pesto: 

  1. In the blender, blend the basil, pine nuts, salt, sugar and olive oil until combined and slightly chunky. Set aside.

Make the dressing: 

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sour cream and red wine vinegar with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  2. The 7 layers: (1) In a large glass (or trifle) dish, combine the iceberg lettuce and celery slices. Gently push this mixture back from the sides to arrange the eggs so that the yolks are facing outward and the eggs "standing up" along the walls of the bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the dressing over the lettuce and celery mixture. (2) Toss the cherry tomatoes with a pinch of salt and layer on top of the lettuce. (2) Drizzle the tomatoes with all but 2 tablespoons of the pine nut pesto. (3) Top with the peas (4), then the cheese (5), then the beets, and all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining dressing (6). When ready to serve, top with the warm bacon and the almonds (7). Dot the top with remaining pesto and remaining dressing.

Cook’s Note

When making pesto, don't over-blend. The blender heats up the herbs, which can make your vibrant green pesto turn brown. You can cook and crumble the bacon strips. You can also slice the bacon into one-inch strips and then cook them so they are more uniform looking. Want to enhance your cherry tomatoes and beets? Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey to amp up their natural sweetness.