Purple reign

Real beetroot is like neither. It possesses a naturally earthy sweetness which is as distinctive is its famously lurid colour. Anyone who appreciates other root vegetables such as celeriac or parsnip should really have little to object to.

Its dramatically different appearance aside, beetroot has more in common with its underground cousins than just where it grows. The cooking techniques like roasting, salt-baking or even deep frying thin slivers to make intensely-flavoured, brittle crisps, are all suited to beetroot. Even simply boiling in water acidulated with a little red wine vinegar cooks the hard root swiftly and locks in flavour provided the skin is not peeled first.

The tangy creaminess of goat's cheese seems an inseparable cliché but remains too delicious to ignore. Squash makes an ideal autumnal pairing, perhaps roasted or in a salad, as can the heat of horseradish with salmon or the sharpness of capers with lamb.

Salad of salt-baked beetroot with soft goat's cheese, radishes, fennel and pumpkin seeds

Recipes serve 4

For the salt-baked beetroot

2 medium-sized heads of raw beetroot

1kg rock salt crystals

5 egg whites

For the salad

200g goat's curd or 150g soft creamy goat's cheese with a spoon of cream cheese beaten

8 radishes

1 banana shallot

2 dsstsp pumpkin seeds

2 dsstsp sunflower seeds

Picked salad leaves (about 60g) and a handful of herbs, picked into fronds, such as chervil and tarragon

For the dressing

20ml red wine vinegar

30ml balsamic vinegar

200ml olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Place the salt in a large bowl and add half the egg white then stir in with a fork before stirring in the rest of the egg whites. The mix should be a dense, moist paste. Spread one-third on the base of an oven-proof tray and place the beetroots on this bed of salt. Now pile up the rest of the salt mixture over and around the beetroots so they are buried.

2. Bake for three hours then remove from the oven and stand for 20 minutes. Then, while still warm, pick away the salt and lift out the beetroots on to a plate. The salt should be discarded.

3. Rub off the beetroot skin with your fingers or peel with a knife. Set aside the beetroots.

4. Dressing: place the mustard and egg yolk in a small mixing bowl and whisk together briefly. Season with salt and fresh black pepper then whisk in the vinegars to create a loose paste. Now slowly drizzle in the oils to emulsify then set aside, whisking well before serving. This can be made up to two days in advance.

5. Salad: transfer the goat's curd or the mix of goat's cheese and cream cheese to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1cm wide nozzle. On to four serving plates, pipe four mounds of goat's cheese each.

6. Slice the beetroots into wedges and divide evenly among the plates. There is no need to season them.

7. Now slice the radish into thin coins and set aside. Peel the shallot and slice into rounds then break these rounds up by pressing the middle out, so they fall apart to give individual rings. Scatter the shallot rings and the radish coins around the plates and over the goat's cheese. Drop the salad leaves and herbs around the plate, sprinkle the seeds over then drizzle a little dressing all over. Season with sea salt flakes and pepper then serve at once.

Roast beetroots and squash in a spiced honey glaze

3 medium-sized beetroots

1 small butternut squash

Olive oil for roasting

A generous bushy sprig of thyme and rosemary

4 cloves of garlic

1 rounded dsstsp chopped tarragon and parsley

For the glaze

1 tsp black peppercorns

4 cloves

1 tsp fennel seeds

8 juniper berries

4 cardamom pods

1 tsp coriander seeds

200ml clear honey

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. (For handling the beetroots, you may wish to wear rubber gloves.) Cut the beetroots into wedges, getting about 8-10 wedges per beetroot. Next, trim around the outside to remove the skin, which can be discarded.

2. Heat an oven-proof frying pan or roasting tray for one minute over a moderate heat then add a couple of dessertspoons of olive oil, then add the beetroots and half the garlic, thyme and rosemary, reserving the rest for when you cook the squash. Season lightly with sea salt flakes and fresh ground black pepper. Toss to mix then fry for five minutes before transferring to the oven and baking for 45 minutes, shaking the pan and turning the vegetable over a couple of times during roasting.

3. Now prepare the butternut squash. Cut in two across the narrow waist to give you two pieces consisting of the bulbous base and the narrower, cylindrical upper section. Peel the skin, cut the upper section lengthways in two then cut each into half-moons. Cut the base in two and scoop out the seeds. Cut the base into wedges.

4. Heat another pan or roasting tray with oil. After one minute add the cut squash and the remaining garlic and herbs, then season. Stir then fry over the heat for a few minutes before transferring to the oven to roast for 30 minutes or until tender.

5. Meanwhile make the honey glaze. Place the cardamom pods on a chopping board then press down on them with the base of a small but sturdy saucepan or similar. This will cause the outer green papery shell to crack open, revealing the inner black seed. Fish this seed out and discard the cardamom husk. Now place the cardamom seed with all the other spices in a small blender, coffee grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a coarse powder. Once blended transfer to a glass jar. Add the honey then microwave the jar briefly or stand in a pot of very hot water to make the honey more liquid. Set aside for now but do not refrigerate. Microwave briefly before using so it is runny, or store near the stove.

This will make more than you need for this recipe but it is good to have for finishing roast duck or game or for using with other vegetables such as carrots and parsnips.

6. To finish and serve: combine the beetroots and squash in one pan and toss together. Remove the garlic, if you wish. Sprinkle in the chopped herbs. Drizzle in a couple of spoonfuls of the honey mix and toss vegetables well in it. Serve as a sidedish with roast meat, game or poultry (duck is especially good) or as a base for a warm salad.

Geoffrey Smeddle is the chef patron of The Peat Inn, By St Andrews, Fife Telephone 01334 840206 www.thepeatinn.co.uk