Risk-Taking and Crispy Goat Cheese Salad

Goat cheese.  It's one of those things that I am pretty sure I said at one point, "Bleh.  No thank you!"  Other things that were on that list?  Beets (because they smelled like the earth), dancing (because the rhythm gene was apparently absent upon my conception), and dating a Brazilian boy (because I had no desire to have some Rico Suave sweep me off of my feet just to break my heart a few days later).

Good thing we are willing to take risks, right?

I now love goat cheese and beets, dancing is one of my favorite things (rhythm or no), and that Brazilian boy?  I married him.

Take risks, Friends!  They pay off, trust me.

And if for some reason they don't, well, at least you tried.

So, if you love goat cheese, this salad is for you.  And if you don't, this one's for you.

Recipe from Everyday Food, March/April 2003

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
• 3 large red potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 1 large egg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs (I used Italian)
• 1 twelve-ounce log fresh goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon grainy or Dijon mustard (I used regular mustard)
• 8 ounces mesclun or mixed salad greens

Directions

1. Heat the broiler. Brush a baking sheet with oil; set aside. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Simmer until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Rinse potatoes under cold water until cool enough to handle, and cut into 1-inch chunks.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl. Slice goat cheese into 8 rounds, and pat each into a disc about 1/2 inch thick. Dip disks in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, coating evenly. Place on prepared baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly add 1/4 cup oil, whisking to emulsify. Set aside.
4. Brush disks lightly with remaining 1/4 cup oil, and broil until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.
5. Toss mesclun and potatoes in the dressing. Spoon salads onto plates, and top each with two cheese disks.
   
   

   COST: $5.59   COST PER SERVING (4): $1.40