In our fruit and veg box this week there was a bunch of little beetroot and it made me remember a recipe in Alison Roman’s book Dining In. It roasts the beetroot in foil with olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper, infusing the beetroot with the vinegar. Here I have served it with labne but a thick greek yoghurt will also work well. I tell you this weekly fruit and veg box can certainly make me put my thinking cap on!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch small beetroot
- 1 tbsp vinegar, red, white or sherry are all good (plus extra for seasoning)
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup labne or thick greek yoghurt
- Herb of choice, chives, coriander, dill
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the beetroot on a large piece of foil.
Drizzle the beetroot with the olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. I like to lightly scrunch up the foil a bit so the oil and vinegar don’t run out.
Wrap them up tightly and place on an oven tray, in case of leakage.
Roast until the beetroot are totally tender and you can pierce them easily with a skewer or fork, 45 minutes to an hour.
Open the foil and let them cool slightly. Using rubber gloves or as Nigella calls them CSI gloves, peel the beets, the skin should just rub off. Cut them into halves or quarters depending on their size. Taste for seasoning, adding extra olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper as necessary.
Spread the labne or yoghurt onto the bottom of a serving plate. Top with the beetroot and juices, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and top with your herb of choice.
I’m thinking this will be the perfect side dish to the lamb shoulder Matt has been cooking on the BBQ since 9.30 this morning. Enjoy. Sheryl x
