This recipe is the perfect gateway to salad season, combining the pick of the seasonal crop (beetroot; asparagus) with creamy soft-boiled eggs and flakes of luxurious, buttery hot smoked salmon.
You can of course substitute the raw beetroot with the vacuum-packed or jarred variety, but roasting the new season’s crop results in a different experience altogether: rich, sweet and earthy with a smooth, soft texture.
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the salad:
2 large raw beetroot, peeled but left whole
2 cloves of garlic, skin on
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off
2 large eggs
1 bag of mixed salad leaves
200g hot smoked salmon, flaked into large pieces
For the dressing:
120ml crème fraîche
1-2 tbsp horseradish sauce (according to taste)
½ tbsp white wine vinegar
The juice from ½ lemon
To serve: crispy croutons; a sprinkle of finely grated parmesan.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 5. Put the beetroot in the centre of a large piece of foil with the garlic bulbs and thyme. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season well, seal the foil to create a loose parcel, place on a large roasting tray and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the beetroot yields to a sharp knife.
Meanwhile, steam or griddle the asparagus until tender and simmer the eggs for 6-7 minutes (for a soft-set yolk) before plunging into cold water. Set both to one side.
Remove the beetroot from the oven, open the foil parcel (take care! A cloud of hot steam may be released) and remove the garlic cloves. When cool enough to handle, chop the beetroot into chunks or wedges. Squeeze the garlic from their skins, toss with the beetroot and set to one side while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a jug. Scatter the mixed leaves across the base of 2 shallow serving bowls and drizzle with around ⅓ of the dressing. Top with the warm beetroot and asparagus (left as whole spears or chopped into bite-sized chunks) and another ⅓ of the dressing, and gently toss again.
Top the salad with flakes of hot smoked salmon and the shelled eggs (cut into quarters) and drizzle the remaining dressing across the top before adding the croutons and a sprinkle of grated parmesan as a final flourish.