Coffee-baked beetroot with berry glaze

Portion size: Serves 6 as a side
Prep time 15 min. Cook time 1 hour 5 min
Difficulty: easy

Dairy-free

Gluten-free

Vegan

Pollyanna Coupland

Food producer, delicious.

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Looking for an easy but impressive side dish to serve with a spring roast? Here’s why coffee-baked beetroot with berry glaze is a must make…

The cooking method: Baking the beetroot in salty coffee grounds is surprisingly simple and results in something life-affirming – especially when the beets are tossed with the sweet dressing
The flavours: Coffee and beetroot is the flavour combo you need in your life. Infusing the crust with spent coffee grounds boosts the beetroot’s earthy intensity.
The dressing: The finishing-touch fruity glaze accentuates the vegetable’s sweetness, while fresh tarragon brightens things further.
Get ahead: Do all the baking and peeling in advance and the dish will come together in just a few minutes before serving.

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Ingredients

500g raw beetroot, ideally a mix of heritage varieties, scrubbed clean
200g used damp coffee grounds (see Know-how)
50g sea salt flakes
1 tbsp Chambord or crème de cassis (see Easy Swaps)
2 tbsp black cherry jam
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tarragon sprig, leaves picked

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Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Top and tail the beetroot, then halve any larger ones. Line an oven tray with a large sheet of baking paper. Mix the coffee grounds and salt together, then pour half into the tray and spread out into an even layer. Put the beetroot on top, then pour over the remaining coffee mixture and pack it tightly against the beetroot. Bring the edges of the paper together into a parcel, fold to seal, then bake for 1 hour.
Make a dressing by whisking the remaining ingredients (except the tarragon) in a small bowl with some seasoning.
Pierce the largest piece of beetroot with a knife to check it’s soft all the way through, then run the beets under a cold tap to remove the coffee and cool them. The skins should rub off (gloves are advised here, unless you don’t mind stained hands for the rest of the day…).
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When ready to serve, cut the beetroot into wedges, then add to a frying pan with the dressing over a medium heat. Cook, stirring every now and then, for a few minutes until the liquid turns syrupy and coats the wedges nicely. Transfer to a serving dish and pour over the remaining dressing, then garnish with tarragon leaves to finish.

Nutrition

101kcals Calories
4.4g (0.6g saturated) Fat
1.5g Protein
11g (11g sugars) Carbs
2.2g Fibre
2g Salt

Quick wins & tips

You’ll need 1-2 cafetières’ worth of coffee grounds. Store the used grounds in a sealed plastic food container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Beetroot and berries go so well together, and we’ve created this dressing using jam and booze to get the same flavour without relying on out-of-season fruit. We’ve gone for Chambord liqueur and black cherry jam, but you can use whatever you have. Blackcurrant, blueberry or raspberry jams work well and a crème de cassis or ruby port would be great too.

Make Ahead

Make the dressing and bake and peel the beetroot up to 48 hours in advance, keeping both in the fridge. The dressing will need re-whisking before you use it.