Roasted beets make this winter salad a sweet and savoury hit

When you roast beets, their natural sugars caramelise, transforming into something akin to vegetable candy.

We heart beets: Lennox Hastie’s beetroot salad. Photo: Nikki To

During the long, cold months of winter, when the world seems stripped of its vibrancy and ­vitality, this earth-stained gem of a vegetable emerges from the ground. Beetroot thrives in the cold, in the dark, in the places other plants wither and fade – and it explodes with a range of colours from deep purple to flame orange, sunshine yellow, and even stripy pink. It is a vegetable that embraces the savoury world with an effortless grace. Boiled, steamed or roasted, it can be dressed up in a variety of ways. In salads, a touch of ­vinegar or citrus helps to bring it to life, and make it the perfect foil for rich, creamy goat’s cheese. Beetroot also creates the most incredible soups with a deep, wholesome flavour and vibrant hue that makes the humble borscht always stand out from the crowd.

When you roast beets, their natural sugars caramelise, transforming into something akin to vegetable candy. This winter salad ­combines the caramelised sweetness of roasted beetroot with the slightly charred, smoky flavour of crisp kale. In celebration of the whole vegetable, the recipe incorporates both the leaves and the stalks, and really celebrates the many varieties when they are available. The addition of blood ­orange brings a burst of citrusy brightness, while goat’s curd adds a creamy tang, rounding out the flavours beautifully.

Try too my beetroot chocolate cake recipe.

Winter veg at their most versatile. Photo: Nikki To

A plate of health and colour: Lennox Hastie’s beetroot salad. Photo: Nikki To

Beetroot salad

Ingredients

• 2 bunches purple beetroot
• 1 bunch yellow beetroot
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 chioggia beetroot, if available
• 2 blood oranges
• 1 bunch kale
• 50g hazelnuts, roasted and halved
• 150g marinated goat’s cheese or curd
• 120ml olive oil
• 25ml red wine vinegar
• 15g sugar
• Sea salt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C. Prepare the beetroot by removing the stems and leaves from the beetroot, reserving any that are small and tender. Wash and scrub the red and yellow beetroots and trim the stem end slightly so that they can stand upright on their bases.
2. Juice two of the beetroots and pass the juice through a fine mesh sieve. In a small pan, bring the juice to a boil and reduce by three quarters until it is an almost syrupy consistency. Remove from the heat, add the zest of 1 orange and reserve. Wrap the remaining red and yellow beetroots in foil – stand them upright on their bases and season with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprig of thyme and good pinch of sea salt prior to sealing. Place the wrapped beetroots on a baking tray and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Once roasted, allow the beetroots to rest for 3 to 5 minutes and while still warm, remove and discard the skin. It should come away with a gentle push of your fingers; I find that a piece of paper towel is helpful here. Separate the yellow and red beetroot between two bowls, cut into halves or quarters (depending on size), re-season with salt and a drizzle of olive, and allow to rest.
4. Prepare the sweet, pickled stems. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Chop the reserved beetroot stem into small dice and, placing in a small bowl, pour over the hot pickle mixture. Leave to pickle for at least 10 minutes.
5. Peel and segment the blood oranges, removing any pith. Squeeze any excess juice into the beetroot reduction.
6. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Prepare the kale, removing the hard stem, and tearing large leaves in half. Toss the kale and reserved beetroot leaves with a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Grill the leaves over a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until charred and slightly crispy. Alternatively, you could spread them over 2 to 3 trays and roast them in the oven at 200C for 15 minutes until crisp. Season well and set aside.
7. Thinly slice the chioggia beetroots using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Drain the pickled stems, reserving the liquid and adding this to the beetroot reduction. Whisk together with 30ml of olive oil to form a rich tangy dressing.
8. Build the salad, layering crisp leaves with the roasted yellow and red beets and the orange segments which should pop with colour. Divide the goat’s cheese in pockets across the salad, before topping with the chioggia beet slices and the pickled stems.
9. Pour over the dressing, before finishing with the roasted hazelnuts.

Serves 3-4