Beetroot carpaccio & goats cheese with salted caramel walnuts & salad greens

A colourful dish with multi-coloured beetroot, creamy goats cheese and crunchy walnuts

8 red beetroot (or 6 red beetroot, 1 candy striped and 1 yellow beetroot if available)
100g Vulscombe goat’s cheese or similar soft goat’s cheese
Small handful of walnut halves
1½ tbsp light brown sugar
½ tbsp unsalted butter
Good pinch of sea salt
1 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dill, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
50g rocket leaves
50g baby beetroot leaves

Preheat your oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan-assisted/gas mark 6.
Trim the red beetroots, wrap each individually in a piece of foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45-90 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until a knife easily slides into the largest beet. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, make the salted caramel walnuts. Put the sugar, butter, salt and 1 tbsp water in a non-stick heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Boil for about 1 minute before adding the walnut halves. Toss the walnuts through the caramel and stir for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the walnuts with a fork onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
If using the candy stripe and yellow beetroot, peel and finely slice on a mandolin if you have one, or slice as thinly as possible using a small sharp knife.
Once the red beetroots are cool enough to handle, push the skins off with your fingers. You may want to wear gloves if you don’t want pink hands! Slice thinly and set aside.
To make the vinaigrette, mix the orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, mustard, dill, olive oil and salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk together.
Arrange the beetroot, walnuts, goat’s cheese and salad greens on plates and drizzle over the dressing.

Recipe by Jody Spencer

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