Sweet and Sour Baked Beetroot

Preparation:

Wash the beetroot, then trim off the roots and excess leaves.

Line a large shallow baking tray with foil, leaving a generous overhang.

Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 61/2.

Method

1 Put the beetroot into a bowl with the vinegar, honey, herbs and star anise. Mix well until all the beetroot are coated, and season generously with sea salt.

2 Spread the whole lot out in the baking tray and cover with a sheet of foil, then bring up the overhanging foil to create a parcel that is virtually airtight.

3 Place the tray in the oven. The baking time will depend on the size of the beetroot – small ones will take around 45 minutes and large ones anything up to 1.5 hours. To check if they’re cooked, unwrap a corner of the foil and pierce a beetroot with the tip of a sharp knife – it should penetrate but feel a slight resistance.

4 Remove the tray from the oven and unwrap the beetroot after a couple of minutes, then place in the middle of the table for all to share.

Tip
If you feel the urge, peel the beetroot while they are still hot and place them along with the cooking liquor in a bowl. Mix in a spoonful of good-quality olive oil, some rocket leaves and crumbled goat’s cheese. A top weekday salad!