Beetroot Salad
Roasted beetroot, sliced thin and arranged on a plate, dressed with a sharp Dijon mustard and lemon vinaigrette, scattered with toasted pine nuts and a handful of microgreens. Earthy, sharp, and a little nutty. A proper French starter that takes almost no time to assemble once the beetroot is done.
Ingredients
For the beetroot
For the Dijon vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard Dijon
- ½ tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 shallot
- salt and black pepper
To finish
- 40 gr pine nuts toasted
- 40 gr microgreens or pea shoots
- flat-leaf parsley
- lemon wedges to serve
Equipment
- glass jar for the vinaigrette
Instructions
1. Roast the beetroot
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Scrub the beetroot, leaving the skins on. Rub with olive oil, season, wrap each one individually in foil, and roast for 55 to 60 minutes, until tender when pierced (large ones may need 75). Cool until comfortable to handle, then rub off the skins (use gloves, they stain).
2. Make the vinaigrette
- Put all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar, seal, and shake well. Taste and adjust, it should be sharp and punchy with the mustard clear.
3. Toast the pine nuts
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until golden. Watch closely, they burn fast. Tip onto a plate to cool.
4. Slice and assemble
- Slice the cooled beetroot and fan across each plate, overlapping. Spoon the vinaigrette generously over. Scatter the pine nuts, then the microgreens and torn parsley. Finish with a lemon wedge on the side. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Roast, don't boil. The flavour concentrates, the sweetness deepens, and you don't lose the colour to the water.
- Roast whole and unpeeled, up to 2 days ahead; keep in the fridge in their foil.
- Wholegrain mustard adds texture; if you only have one, Dijon is the more important.
- Swap pine nuts for walnuts if you like; toast the same way.
- A little chèvre or Roquefort on top turns it into a light lunch.