Roasted fig, walnut and goat’s cheese salad
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 small beetroot (beets), peeled and thickly sliced
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 6 ripe figs, halved crossways
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- apple cider vinegar, for drizzling
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) walnuts
- 200 g (7 oz) English spinach, plus extra to serve (optional)
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) goat’s cheese
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 thyme sprigs
- freshly ground black pepper
- microherbs, to serve (optional)
- 1 orange, sliced and roasted, to serve (optional)
METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Toss the beetroot in a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for 25 minutes, or until just softened.
- Remove the tray, lay the fig halves, cut side up, around the beetroot then sprinkle with the cinnamon and drizzle over some olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
- Roast for 5 minutes then add the walnuts and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the figs are golden, plump and slightly softened.
- Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Put the spinach on a platter or in a salad bowl, add the figs and walnuts, and crumble over the goat’s cheese.
- Drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice. Top with the thyme, a grind or two of black pepper, some microherbs, extra spinach and roasted orange slices, if using.