Candied Beet Salad

Recipe by Georgina Hayden, from JamieOliver.com

Ingredients

  • 750 g golden or candy cane beetroot , or a mix of both
  • 50 g mixed seeds
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 2 knobs of unsalted butter
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 150 g golden caster sugar
  • 2 handfuls of salad leaves
  • Buttermilk dressing
  • 75 ml buttermilk
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 bunch of mixed soft herbs , such as chervil, tarragon and mint, leaves picked and chopped

Method

If you can’t get the striped candied beets, the sweet golden varieties are a good alternative.

Give your beetroots a good clean, then place them in a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until they are soft. Drain and set aside to cool. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and cut roughly into 3cm wedges.

While the beetroots are cooking, toss the seeds in a little olive oil with the paprika and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then toast them in a dry frying pan until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Make the dressing by whisking the buttermilk in a jug with the juice of half the lemon and a good glug of olive oil. Season well. Stir in the chopped herbs and leave to one side.

Melt the butter in the frying pan you toasted the seeds in, and finely grate in the zest of the orange. Add a squeeze of orange juice, the cinnamon and sugar and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and leave to bubble away for around 10 minutes until caramelised and sticky. Remove from the heat and toss through the cooked beets. Leave them to cool slightly in the pan, then spread out onto a platter.

Serve, after tossing the salad leaves with the buttermilk dressing, scattering over the beets and finishing with the toasted seeds.

Candied Beet Salad
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