Let the beetroot see the carrot

Recipes are mostly guides and some ingredients can be perfectly substituted and still give the same results

I was in my local fishmongers when a man walked in clutching a cookbook to his chest. He opened to a page and asked for a fish that was in the ingredients list for a recipe. When the fishmonger explained they didn’t have that particular fish in stock but had two or three others that would substitute perfectly, the man turned around and walked out fish-less, a look of utter dejection on his face.

It was a reminder that most recipes are guides – guides that can be adjusted to suit our individual tastes, moods and the seasons. We don’t need to adhere to recipes so slavishly. Arguably, you don’t have quite the freedom with a baking recipe – if it says 100g plain flour then don’t go off piste and use 200g of self raising instead.

But for most recipes, we can and should lighten up a bit. Take this recipe for roasted beetroot and carrots. Originally I was going to use dill which is a star with both vegetables. But then I looked out the window, saw that it was bucketing and couldn’t face the walk to the greengrocers for one bunch of herbs.

So instead I went for mint – again a great friend of beetroot and carrots – and conveniently growing outside my kitchen door. (It also gave me an opportunity to do a quick bit of slug removal). If you don’t like mint, then some sprigs of lemon thyme or chopped chives or simply flat leaf parsley would work a treat.

The same goes for cheese. I went for goat’s cheese for the simple reason that it was in the fridge but a creamy burrata or feta or goat’s curd would have been cracking too.

I think about that man in the fishmongers and wonder if he ever actually made that recipe. I’m hoping that if not – fingers crossed – he’ll one day learn the liberating joy of a well-chosen substitution.

Roasted Beetroot and Carrots with Mint, Goat’s Cheese & Honey

If you can, go for smaller carrots with the frilly tops still attached. They tend to be more tender and sweet and don’t take as long to cook. Smaller or organic carrots don’t need to be peeled but larger, non-organic are better peeled.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 bunch of carrots, about 400g
4 small beets, about 200-225g
small handful of mint, chopped
40g soft goat’s cheese
1 scant tablespoon runny honey
micro herbs (optional) to garnish
salt & pepper 

Preheat oven to 210°C

If you’re using smaller carrots there is no need to peel them but give them a good scrub. Leave a bit of the carrot top on if you like but make sure you give this end a thorough scrub to remove any dirt or grit. Slice the carrots in half length ways and place them on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and give them a toss to coat.

Thoroughly scrub the beets but leave the skin on. Take off a thin slice from the top then slice the beets into quarters from top to tail and each of the quarters in half again so you end up with eight slender wedges per beet. Place the beets in a separate baking tray and again drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Put the carrots and beets in the oven and roast until you can insert a knife easily into them. The carrots will take about 20 minutes – the beets may take 5 minutes or so long. Turn them over occasionally so they brown evenly. If you’re concerned that the beets are turning too dark but still aren’t tender then by all means turn down the oven a bit and continue to cook them until done.

Arrange the carrots and beets on a serving plate. Give them a sprinkle of salt – Maldon sea salt is nice for this bit – and drizzle the honey over the warm vegetables.

Top with the mint and crumble the goat’s cheese over it. Decorate with a few micro herbs if using.

Variations: Instead of goat’s cheese use burrata (a semi-soft Italian cheese) or feta cheese. Instead of mint use basil, dill or lemon thyme. A handful of nuts – toasted walnuts, pine nuts or almonds – would be an added treat.