Roasted Essex beetroot

Ingredients

20 Assorted baby beetroots, preferably heritage, and all the colours
6tbsp Goats curd
Large bunch Watercress
6tbsp of Shallot dressing (recipe below)
Honeycomb (recipe below)
Shallot dressing:
4 Finely chopped shallots
300ml extra olive oil
100ml sherry vinegar
2 table spoons thyme leaves
Honeycomb:
8tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp water
400g sugar
5tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

To make the shallot dressing:
Sweat the shallots in a pan with a spoonful of olive oil and the thyme leaves.
Add the rest of the olive oil and the vinegar.
Give it a good stir and leave to cool.
Mix well before use.
For the honeycomb:
Make a caramel by placing the golden syrup, water and sugar in a pan. Bring to the boil and when it’s bubbling and golden, add the bicarbonate of soda.
Use a deep pan and be careful, as when you add the bicarbonate of soda, the caramel will rise up dramatically.
As soon as it rises, pour into a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Cool until hard, then smash up into small pieces.
Take the beetroots and trim off the leaves.
Wrap them in foil and roast at 160 degrees for until a knife goes in easily (approx. 45 minutes).
Allow to cool and peel off the skin.
Cut the beetroots into chunks and toss lightly in the olive oil and roast them in a pan to get some colour.
When sizzling, add the goats curd sporadically around, then add the shallot dressing.
Finish with a few shards of honeycomb.
Dress the watercress in the shallot dressing, and serve on the side.

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