BUNCH OF BEETROOT SALAD

Here’s a delicious salad showcasing the whole beetroot. So, grab a bunch, then roast the beet, pickle the stem and bake the leaves till crisp. All the components can be prepared a few hours ahead, the only last-minute job is to bake the feta so that it’s warm and soft when serving.

serves 8

1 bunch red beetroot with stems and leaves intact (about 5 beetroot, 900g-1kg)

extra virgin olive oil, for cooking

¼ cup hazelnuts

1 tablespoon honey, plus extra teaspoon for hazelnuts

180g Main Ridge Dairy goat feta, cut into 0.8mm wide slices

Pickle mixture:

½ cup (125ml) apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon sea salt

Dressing:

2 tablespoons pickle liquor (or Apple cider vinegar)

3 tablespoons (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Trim the beetroot, reserving the stems and leaves. Wash beetroot and pat dry. Lightly brush oil over each to coat well then wrap in a piece of foil to enclose. Place the beetroot parcels on a baking tray and transfer to the oven. Cook for 50 minutes to an hour, or until tender. To test, insert a skewer into beetroot, there should be no resistance. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then unwrap the beetroot and peel away the skin – it will slide off easily.

While beetroots are cooking, tip hazelnuts on a baking paper lined baking tray. Drizzle over ½ tablespoon olive oil and a teaspoon of honey. Place in oven for 5 minutes, then remove and stir around and return to the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool, then chop roughly and set aside until serving.

While the beetroots are cooking, it’s time to pickle the stems. Cut the leaves from the stems, reserving the leaves. Rinse the stems under running water then cut into 2cm lengths and place in a medium saucepan. Add the apple cider vinegar, honey and salt. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn off heat immediately and leave to cool to room temperature.

To prepare the leaves, remove any discoloured, damaged or tough outer leaves and send to the compost bin. Wash and spin dry the remaining leaves in a salad spinner, or use a tea towel to dry. Cut away any thick stem as this will not dry in the oven at the same time as the leaf. Place the leaves in a large bowl and drizzle over 2 teaspoons of oil and a pinch of sea salt. Gently massage the leaves, tossing as you go until the leaves are coated on all sides with a light film of oil. Arrange the leaves in a single layer across two baking trays, it’s recommended to have a tray with smaller leaves and the other tray with larger leaves as the cooking times are different depending on the size.

After the beetroot have finished cooking, reduce the oven temperature to 130°C (110°C fan-forced). Bake leaves for 5 minutes, checking the smaller leaves and if crisp then remove from the oven. Continue baking the tray of larger leaves for another 3-5 minutes until leaves are crisp. Remove to cool. Crank up the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced) in readiness to cook the feta.

Cut the warm beetroot into wedges or slices and place in a large wide bowl. Drain the pickled stems collecting the pickle liquid. To make the salad dressing, place 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid, 3 tablespoons olive oil and a teaspoon of honey oil in a screw-top jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the beetroot and set aside for 5 minutes to soak.

All the components of the salad can be prepared ahead at this point. When near ready to serve, arrange beetroot over serving platter along with any remaining dressing in the bowl, then it’s time to co cook the feta. Place the feta in a single layer over a baking paper lined baking tray. Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil, then a little honey over each piece. Bake for 15 minutes until golden around the edges and feta is soft and oozy. Using a palette knife or similar transfer the feta to the top of salad. It is soft so may fall apart when moving, so not to worry.

Scatter over the drained stems and hazelnuts. Arrange crispy leaves around salad or serve to the side. Serve salad straight away.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, December 2026