Campfire Harvest Feast with Roasted Beet Port Wine Salad

This roasted beet salad is delicious whether the beets are cooked over a campfire, on a barbecue grill, or in the oven. Roasting deepens their natural sweetness and gives them a rich, earthy flavour that pairs beautifully with salty feta cheese, toasted walnuts, tender greens, and a bold port wine vinaigrette. It is a simple, elegant beet salad that tastes like autumn on a plate. (Skip to recipe.)

We have been enjoying a stretch of beautiful autumn weather, which made it perfect for another dinner in our Campfire Cooking series. Each month, my cooking friend Sabina and I plan a meal around the fire, cook as much as possible outdoors, and enjoy the flavours that come from grilling over hot coals.

For our September dinner, the menu naturally developed a red harvest theme. Red appeared in the beets, the port wine reduction, the grapes, the red wine in the risotto, and the plums for dessert. The whole meal felt like a celebration of fall: beets, pears, walnuts, onions, grapes, plums, rich cheeses, warm spices, and the smoky aroma of food cooking over the campfire. With the autumn colours all around Sabina’s yard, it was a memorable outdoor feast.

Campfire Cooking: Harvest Feast Menu

First Course

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta, Walnuts, and Port Wine Vinaigrette

Second Course

Pear, Gorgonzola & Black Rice Risotto

Entrée

Lamb Shashlik Kebabs with Onions and Grapes, Grilled Carrots with Cumin and Honey, and Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Dessert

Grilled Plums, Whipped Cream, and Campfire-Griddled Welsh Cakes

First Course: Roasted Beet Salad . . . This salad was one of the highlights of the meal. We wrapped red beets in foil and roasted them over the fire until they were tender and sweet. Onion halves were grilled over the coals until they had dark, crisp edges, adding a gentle smoky flavour to the salad. If you are making this indoors, you can get a similar effect by charring onion slices in a dry skillet over medium-high heat.

The roasted beets and grilled onions were tossed with a tangy port wine vinaigrette made from reduced port wine, balsamic vinegar, oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. We served the beet mixture on fresh garden greens, then finished each plate with crumbled feta cheese and toasted walnuts. The result was a balanced roasted beet salad with sweetness, saltiness, crunch, and a deep autumn flavour.

Second Course: Pear, Gorgonzola & Black Rice Risotto . . . The second course featured glossy black rice slowly cooked over the campfire with onions, red wine, and repeated additions of broth. Gorgonzola, brie, and parmesan were stirred in to make the risotto creamy and rich, while grilled pear pieces added softness and sweetness. Finished with more grilled pear and toasted walnuts, it was a beautiful combination of creamy, sharp, sweet, and nutty flavours.

Main course: Shashlik Lamb Kebabs with Onions and Grapes, Honey and Cumin Grilled Carrots, Grilled Brussels Sprouts . . . The main course brought more bold campfire flavour. The lamb kebabs were marinated with red wine vinegar, then grilled with onions and grapes. Garden carrots were tossed with olive oil, honey, and cumin before grilling until lightly charred and sweet. Brussels sprouts were simply seasoned with oil and salt and cooked over the fire.

We also reduced port wine until it became thick and concentrated. Part of the reduction went into the roasted beet salad dressing, and the rest became the base for a port wine sauce made with grilled onion, balsamic vinegar, oil, and seasonings. That sauce was especially good with the lamb kebabs.

Dessert: Grilled Plums, Whipped Cream, and Campfire-Griddled Welsh Cakes . . . Welsh cakes are crisp little biscuit-like cookies with tender, flaky centres. They are fragrant with nutmeg and dotted with chewy currants, making them a lovely sweet treat to cook on a griddle over the campfire. Find the recipe here.

It was another successful Campfire Cooking dinner, filled with smoky flavours, seasonal produce, and the kind of food that feels just right for autumn.

Kitchen Frau Notes: This roasted beet salad is easy to prepare ahead. The beets can be roasted in the oven or over the campfire 3 to 4 days in advance, the onions can be charred several days ahead, the walnuts can be toasted ahead, and the port wine dressing can also be made in advance. When you are ready to serve, simply toss the beets and onions with the dressing and assemble the salad on fresh greens.

Roasted Beet Salad with Port Wine Dressing

• 1½ lbs (700 g) beets
• 1 medium red or yellow onion
• 4 handfuls mixed baby greens, baby spinach, or baby arugula
• 1 cup (125 g) crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup (50 g) toasted walnuts
• Chopped parsley or dill, for garnish

For the dressing:

• 1 cup port wine, reduced to 2 tablespoons, or 1 extra tablespoon balsamic vinegar plus 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), or place a grate over a campfire with hot coals. You can also preheat a barbecue grill.

Wrap the beets in foil lined with parchment paper. If the beets are large, wrap them individually. If they are smaller, wrap 2 to 4 beets together in each parcel. Place the parcels on the grate over the campfire or on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 to 1¼ hours. If roasting over a campfire, turn the parcels occasionally and keep them near the edge of the fire rather than directly over the flames.

Cut the onion into pencil-thick slices, keeping the rings together. Grill the onion slices in a grill basket over the campfire or barbecue, or char them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Cook until blackened in spots, then carefully turn and char the other side. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Toast the walnuts in a skillet set over the fire or grill, or spread them on a baking sheet and toast in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and fragrant.

While the beets are roasting, make the dressing: Pour the port wine into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it has reduced to 2 tablespoons. This can be done on the stovetop, campfire, or grill. In a small bowl or cup, whisk the reduced port wine with the balsamic vinegar, avocado oil, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until blended and slightly thickened.

To assemble the salad, peel the roasted beets and trim the ends. Cut the beets into wedges or slices. Coarsely chop the grilled onion slices. Toss the beets and onions with the prepared port wine dressing.

Arrange a handful of greens on each of 4 salad plates. Top each plate with one quarter of the dressed beet mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and toasted walnuts, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley or dill.

Serves 4.

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