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Roasted beet salad with dates & blue cheese

Warm lentils are boosted with the punchy flavours of blue cheese, caramelised beetroot, fudgy dates and toasted pecans

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes, plus cooling

Serves: 4

Ingredients

500g fresh beetroot, trimmed, scrubbed and cut into 1-2cm wedges, reserving the stems
2 tbsp olive oil
40g pecans
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 Waitrose & Partners Pitted Medjool Dates, very roughly chopped
4 sticks celery, thinly sliced, plus the leaves from the bunch
250g pouch black Beluga lentils
80g piquant blue cheese (such as roquefort)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C, gas mark 7. Put the beetroot into a large roasting tin, toss with 1 tbsp oil and roast in a single layer for 25 minutes, until tender. Chop the beetroot stems into short lengths, then toss through the beets after 20 minutes, adding the pecans too.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1 tbsp oil with the red wine vinegar and mustard in a large bowl and season (it might seem sharper than usual vinaigrettes, but it needs to counter the sweetness of the beetroot and dates). Add the dates and sliced celery.

3. Let the beetroot mixture cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the lentils according to pack instructions. Tip the beetroot mixture on top of the celery with the lentils; toss together. Arrange the salad on 4 serving plates, scatter with the celery leaves and the cheese in chunks or slices. Drizzle with any leftover dressing to serve.

Cook’s tip
This recipe goes beautifully in place of the usual green veg and potatoes alongside roast chicken.