Roast Baby Beetroot With Buffalo Mozzarella, Herbs & Almonds

Recipes & food styling Tom Hutchison
Photography Amber-Jayne Bain

	1kg mixed baby beetroot
	1 red onion
	3 cloves garlic, peeled
	1 mild, fresh red chilli
	1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
	65ml extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra to serve
	75g almonds
	25ml good-quality (aged) balsamic vinegar
	¼ cup flat-leafed parsley, leaves only
	¼ cup fresh mint leaves
	1 lemon
	200g buffalo mozzarella

1.	Heat the oven to 200°C fan bake.
2.	Trim the tops off the beetroot, leaving 1cm of the stems.
3.	Put into a pot of cold, salted water and bring to the boil.
4.	Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes until the beetroot is just cooked through.
5.	Drain, cool and then chop some into quarters, some into halves and leave some whole. Set aside.
6.	Peel and cut the onion into 10 wedges, keeping the heel of the onion intact so the pieces don’t separate.
7.	Put the onions on a roasting tray with 2 cloves sliced garlic, sliced fresh red chilli to taste, thyme leaves and some salt and pepper.
8.	Drizzle with 20ml extra virgin olive oil, toss together and roast for 20 minutes or until the onion is soft and caramelising at the edges.
9.	Set aside to cool.
10.	Reduce the oven heat to 160°C fan bake and gently toast the almonds for 6-8 minutes.
11.	Chop roughly and set aside.
12.	Finely slice the rest of the chilli, mince the remaining clove of garlic and put these in a bowl with 45ml extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.
13.	Stir together and then toss in the beetroot, onions, herbs and nuts.
14.	Taste and season with salt and pepper.
15.	Assemble the salad on four plates then tear 50g buffalo mozzarella onto each.
16.	Drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice, a light touch of extra virgin olive oil and dust with salt and freshly ground black pepper.