Baked Beetroot Salad

⇐ The Green Book

Ingredients

for salt crust - easily enough for 4 beetroots

500g flour

150g salt

2 egg whites

200ml water

for onion pickling liquid

140ml cider vinegar

65g demerara sugar

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp salt

1 dill sprig

for the cauliflower puree

¼ cauliflower

125ml milk

15g butter

50ml double cream

salt and (preferably white) pepper

for the salad

1 beetroot per person

1 onion, halved and sliced 3-5mm thick

1 crisp apple, e.g. Granny Smith

leaves from the beetroot, if available

olive oil

Method

1. Beetroot Make the salt crust by combining the ingredients and kneading for a few minutes to make stiff dough. If you have time, leave to rest in the fridge for an hour. Wash, but do not peel the beetroots. Roll out the salt crust pastry to thickness of £1 coin and encase each beetroot in pastry. Bake in an oven 170℃ for 90 minutes. Take out and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle break off the salt crust, peel and quarter the beetroots.
2. Onions Combines the cider vinegar, sugar and mustard seeds in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, add the dill and allow to cool while you prepare the onions. Halve and slice the onions to 3-5mm thickness. Sprinkle with a little salt and allow to stand while pickling liquor cools. When the liquor has cooled for 30 minutes pour over the onions.
3. Cauliflower puree Break or cut the cauliflower into smallish pieces and put in the pan with the butter and milk. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to very low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft. Add the cream, bring back to the boil and then liquidise till you get a very smooth puree. Season with salt and (white, if you have) pepper.
4. Salad Only make up the salad immediately before serving, else the juice from the beetroot will bleed into the cauliflower puree which doesn't look too good. The beetroot and puree should still be warm (not necessarily hot). Make up indiviual plates. Place a smear or puddle of puree on the plate. Place beetroot on top. Top with the drained onions, apple but into matchsticks and shredded beetroot leaves (if you have). Drizzle a little olive oil on top.

adapted from BBC Good Food https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/salt-baked-beetroot-feta-pickled-onions