This way of baking beetroots really gives them a wonderful tenderness – and look amazing when opened from their salty shells. Adding some tangy goats curd, pickled shallots and rich honey, you’ll be on to a winner this summer.
Ingredients (serves four):
Six beetroot (a mixture of red, candy and golden) washed
Two egg whites
250g table salt
500g fresh goats curd
One bunch of chives
Zest of one lemon
100ml good quality white truffle oil
Salt and pepper
100g toasted pumpkin seeds
150g mixed salad leaves
50g Tregothnan honey
For the pickled shallots:
Six banana shallots
150ml red wine
75ml red wine vinegar
75 g castor sugar
Method
First, pickle the shallots. Slice the shallots into rings. Put the rest of the ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to boil. Pour over the shallots and leave to marinate for at least 8 hours.
To salt bake the beetroot, whisk the egg white to a firm peak and fold in the salt. Completely coat the beetroots one by one in the mixture. It is essential that there are no gaps in the coating. Place on a baking tray and bake at 170 degrees c for 30 to 40 mins depending on the size of beetroot. To check if they are cooked use a small knife to pierce the beetroot, if there is little resistance it is cooked. Let them cool, remove the salt crust and carefully peel. Cut into wedges.
To finish the dish, arrange the beetroot wedges on a plate and spoon over a generous amount of curd. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds, drizzle with honey and add some pickled shallots. Finish with the dressed salad leaves and enjoy. A wonderful summer dish!
