Last year’s Masterchef finalist, Giovanna, brings us a beautiful recipe to celebrate all things beetroot. Now a favourite amongst ‘masterchefs’, the beetroot finds its roots in far more humble origins. Once a favourite amongst the peasant class, it was later used to colour wine in the 19th century. Now enjoying a resurgence in gourmet cooking, the beetroot can be blended, mashed, pickled, roasted or boiled lending its deep purple colour and distinctive earthy flavour to many an elegant dish.
In the U.K, the beetroot enjoys a 4 month season from July to October and is one of the most environmentally friendly vegetables with pesticides rarely needed in the growing process. Beetroot is also rich in iron, calcium and antioxidants and can help to reduce blood pressure. It’s not only delicious but good for you and good for the planet. What more reason could you need?
If you’re still not convinced, we’re confident that Giovanna’s recipe will give you the perfect excuse to embrace the beetroot…
Use your prep set when needed and and have your serverware at the ready.
Beetroot and new potato salad with soft-boiled eggs
Giovanna Ryan
I throw a whole load of stuff into this salad but not all of it is necessary if you don’t have it on hand. You’re looking for a pickle-y, sharp dressing to balance the earthy beetroot and some texture from nuts or seeds but feel free to experiment with different ingredients. You could also buy pre-cooked beetroot if you need this to be extra quick.
Ingredients (for 4 hearty lunches)
For the salad:
Around 1kg beetroot of different varieties and colours, peeled
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
A few sprigs of dill
4 free range eggs
4 large handfuls of a mixture of salad leaves
2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh horseradish
Around 400g new potatoes cut into regular sized pieces
Two spring onions, thinly sliced
Around 50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
A little water to loosen
For the pickling liquor:
100ml white wine vinegar
Teaspoon salt
Teaspoon sugar
Instructions
• Chop two thirds of your beetroot into wedges and boil until soft through. If you want to keep the colour of the different varieties you’ll have to boil them in separate pans. Drain and set aside.
