Fried Goat Cheese Salad

The cheese can be served over chilled, crisp mixed baby greens, too.

Ingredients for goat cheese:
3/4 cup walnuts
4 slices Pullman loaf bread, or other tight crumb white bread, crusts removed
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
1 (11-ounce) log goat cheese, cut into 6 equal pieces
kosher salt
2 eggs, beaten with 1 T water

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Ingredients for salad:
extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 T Dijon mustard
2 to 3 T sherry vinegar
1 head radicchio, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups baby arugula, washed
2 heads Belgian endive, cut into 1/2-inch lengths crosswise

Preparing the goat cheese:
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are coarsely chopped. Tear the bread into pieces and pulse in the food processor with the chopped walnuts until they become coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer the breadcrumb mixture to a wide, flat dish. Stir in the chopped chives and parsley. Flatten each piece of goat cheese into a disk and season with salt. Dip each disk in the beaten egg mixture and then coat with the breadcrumbs, packing the crumbs onto each disk. When all the goat cheese has been coated, chill them in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When ready to fry, put the cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Coat a large, nonstick saute pan generously with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Carefully fry the goat cheese disks in the hot oil on both sides until they are golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side.

When all of the disks have been fried, keep them warm in the oven.

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Preparing the greens:
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots to the pan, and let them cook as the pan cools slightly. Add the Dijon and sherry vinegar to the pan and whisk to combine. Add the radicchio, arugula, and endive and season with salt. Toss to fully incorporate with the vinaigrette and to allow the salad to slightly wilt.

Divide the wilted salad between serving plates and top each salad with a goat cheese disk.

Serves 6