Salt-baked beetroot with macadamia and mulberry

1 HOUR + COOLING | SERVES 4 AS A STARTER EASY | V GF

golden beetroots 3 medium, trimmed

purple beetroots 3 medium, trimmed

fine salt 700g

egg whites 75g (about 3)

raw macadamia nuts 150g

lemon Ω, juiced

garlic 1 clove

olive oil 100ml mulberries or blackberries 8, halved

TO SERVE

sherry vinegar 40ml

tarragon leaves 20 (optional)

bottarga (salted, cured mullet roe) optional

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180/gas 6. Arrange the beets on a tray lined with baking paper. Mix the salt and egg whites until completely combined. Mould the mixture around each beetroot then put in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middles meets no resistance. Cool a little.

In a blender, combine the macadamias, 160ml of water and the lemon juice, then grate in the garlic. Blend on high for 5 minutes until as smooth as possible. With the blender running, pour in 40ml of the olive oil and let it emulsify. Season with salt.

Break away the salt layers and peel the beetroots, discarding the peels, stalks and salt. Cut the yellow beets into Ωcm slices and halve or quarter the purple beets.

Spoon the sauce onto a plate. Fan out the yellow beetroots, then place the purple beets on top.

Top with the berries and spoon over the sherry vinegar, remaining oil and tarragon leaves, if using, then grate over some bottarga, if you like.

PER SERVING 540 kcals | fat 53.5G saturates 8.1G | carbs 7.6G | sugars 6.8G fibre 5.4G | protein 4.5G | salt 2.6G