You know those side dishes that you can’t leave alone? This is one of them: a sweet-yet-savoury, creamy beetroot purée, which is an ideal side dish to all roast meats. Beetroot is good for the liver, the heart and even thought to prevent the development of certain cancers. The magic is in its dramatic, blood-red colour which stains everything it comes into contact with.
{Serves 4 as a side dish}
8–10 beetroot (beets), cooked and peeled
25 g (1 oz/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
100 ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) milk
1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
salt, to taste
Finely grate the beetroot so that they turn to mush.
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring all the time to make a thick, smooth sauce.
Add the grated beetroot and sugar to the pan and stir until well combined and hot. Season to taste with salt and serve.
{Time: 25 minutes}