Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 medium beetroots
• 4 medium carrots
• 4 medium parsnips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 6 fresh walnuts, shelled
• 100 g mixed salad greens
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 100 ml sour cream
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 100 ml walnut oil, plus extra for drizzling

Recipe

• 1 to cook the beetroots: trim the stalk, not cutting the root as this prevents the beetroot from bleeding.
• 2 place the beetroots in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt.
• 3 bring to a rapid simmer and cook for 50-60 minutes until tender.
• 4 rather than piercing them to check their tenderness, lift the beetroots from the water and gently pull at the skin with your thumb.
• 5 if the skin feels loose and is easy to remove, the beetroots are ready to be drained and left to cool.
• 6 preheat the oven to 200c or 400 degrees f.
• 7 to cook the parsnips and carrots: peel the carrots and parsnips, trim away the top stalk and quarter lengthwise to produce sharp sticks.
• 8 the central core of the parsnips can also be trimmed away, should they appear to be woody.
• 9 the vegetables can be roasted from absolutely raw, but a short blanching will give them a creamier finish.
• 10 preheat a roasting tray on top of the stove, adding the oil.
• 11 add the carrots and parsnips and fry on all sides until well coloured.
• 12 season with salt and pepper.
• 13 place the roasting tray in the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables from time to time, until they are becoming crispy.
• 14 remove the vegetables from the oven and season with salt and pepper.
• 15 these are best served very warm, rather than piping hot.
• 16 while the carrots and parsnips are roasting, dice the beetroots.
• 17 to make the dressing, whisk together the mustard, soured cream and vinegar.
• 18 the oil can now be trickled in as you whisk, allowing it to emulsify with the cream.
• 19 if the dressing is too thick, simply loosen with a little water.
• 20 season with salt and pepper.
• 21 you may only need half to two thirds of the dressing; any leftover can be kept in the fridge for several days to be used with other salads.
• 22 once the beetroot is diced, mix half with the dressing and this will create a pink rippled effect.
• 23 arrange the carrots and parsnips in a rustic fashion on four serving plates, sprinkling with the remaining diced beetroots.
• 24 or, if using grated beetroots, simply divide between the plates.
• 25 break the walnut halves into pieces and mix them with the salad leaves, then drizzle with extra walnut oil, if liked.
• 26 season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on top of the carrots and parsnips.
• 27 spoon over and around with the beetroot and soured cream dressing to finish.