Irish Pub Salad with Dublin Cheese and Roasted Beets

In a hurry? I’ve got you — recipe below.

A fresh Irish pub-style salad with butter lettuce, roasted beets, cucumber, eggs, and nutty Dublin cheese, finished with a simple Dijon vinaigrette. Perfect as a light dinner-party salad or a hearty lunch.

A Little Note from My Kitchen

There was a stretch of time when I loved hosting themed dinners. Nothing overly fancy, just meals with a few courses that encouraged people to sit, talk, and linger a little longer at the table.

For one of those dinners, I decided to cook an Irish meal. Since I’ve never been much of a fan of corned beef and cabbage, I made a cozy Irish stew instead. This salad became the fresh, bright course in the middle of the meal.

The recipe originally came from Kerrygold and features their wonderfully nutty Dublin cheese. It’s one of those simple combinations that works beautifully — crisp butter lettuce, creamy eggs, cool cucumber, earthy beets, and slices of Irish cheese with a light Dijon vinaigrette.

When I served this at dinner parties, I plated it as a composed salad with one large butter lettuce leaf acting almost like a little bowl, with the toppings arranged right on top.

Recently I revisited the recipe and turned it into something different — a hearty lunch salad instead of a dinner-party course. This time I used several lettuce leaves as the base and served it with a slice of lentil bread and grass-fed butter to make it a satisfying midday meal.

Recipes have a way of evolving like that, and I think that’s part of the fun.

From my "forgotten, now found" notebook to your kitchen.

— Amy

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Irish Pub Salad with Dublin Cheese and Roasted Beets

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour (for roasting beets - can be made ahead)

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 4

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What You’ll Need

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil1

• ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 24 large butter lettuce leaves (about 6 per plate for a lunch salad)

• 8 ounces Dublin cheese, sliced

• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges

• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

• 4 small roasted beets, sliced

For the Roasted Beets

• 4 small beets

• Olive oil for drizzling

• Salt and pepper

  
  

Shortcut: You can also use jarred or canned beets if you’re short on time. Look for ones without added sugar for the best flavor and a more blood-sugar-friendly option.

Let’s Cook

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Place the 4 small beets on a sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil loosely around the beets and roast for about 1 hour, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Allow them to cool slightly, then peel and slice.

3. While the beets roast, make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons avocado oil, 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon (if using), and a pinch of salt and pepper until well combined.

4. To assemble the salad as a main-course lunch, line each plate with about 6 butter lettuce leaves.

5. Arrange 2 ounces sliced Dublin cheese, one hard-boiled egg cut into wedges, sliced cucumber, and one roasted beet over the lettuce. Drizzle lightly with the dressing just before serving.

6. If you'd like to serve it the way I originally did for dinner parties, place one large butter lettuce leaf on the plate and arrange the toppings on top so the lettuce acts as a little edible bowl.

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Nutrition Notes (per serving – estimated)

• Calories: 320

• Protein: 15g

• Net Carbs: 7g

• Fiber: 2g

• Fat: 24g