Things I love in a beetroot salad: goat\’s feta, toasted peppitas (pumpkin seeds) and mint. To make it a great salad, allow an extra hour or two to roast the beetroot. That means peeling and spiralising the beetroot before roasting it in the pre-heated oven (180C) to semi-caramelise over 45 minutes to an hour. While you\’re at it, you should roast the garlic (30 mins, skin on) and onion (1 hr) too. I hardly ever bother with all of this of course. Instead, I buy the vacuum-sealed, ready-cooked baby beets from the greengrocer. Finely shredded raw beetroot mixed with shredded apple can also be nice, but again it takes a little extra time.
- 4 baby beets, cubed (watch out for stains on wooden benchtops)
- optional: 1 apple, skinned and finely sliced
- 150g feta
- rocket.
- 1 red onion, finely diced (alternatively, shallots)
- fresh mint, rinsed and ripped
- 1 cup peppitas, toasted (frying pan, no oil, stir often until popping starts). Alternatively, smashed, toasted walnuts.
- dressing: 100ml olive oil, 50ml red wine (or balsamic) vinegar, salt and pepper. Optional: crushed roasted garlic, honey and wholegrain mustard