Roast beef and beetroot salad

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Salad

• 3 small–medium beetroot (about 400g)
• 1 x 600g centre-cut beef fillet, brought to room temperature (or you can use leftover roast beef or steak if you have it)
• 2 tbs olive oil, plus extra to serve
• salt flakes
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large handful of mint leaves
• 2 tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Tahini sauce

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 185g (¾ cup) Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbs hulled tahini
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt flakes and freshly ground
• black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the tahini sauce, combine the garlic, yoghurt, tahini, cumin and vinegar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Wash and trim the beetroot, leaving 2cm of the stem (this makes peeling easier once the beetroot are cooked). Wrap in foil and roast for 50–55 minutes until the beetroot are tender when pierced with a skewer. Set aside until cool enough to handle. While still warm, peel the beetroot (if you have disposable gloves, wear them to protect your hands from staining), then cut each bulb into 6 wedges.
3. Meanwhile, rub the beef all over with 1 tablespoon of oil and season generously with salt. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over high heat and sear the meat all over for 4–5 minutes until a crust forms. Place the pan in the oven and roast the beef for 15–20 minutes for rare – roast for a few minutes longer for medium–rare (or longer, depending on how you like your meat cooked). Place the beef on a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 8–10 minutes. Thinly carve the beef.
4. Place the beetroot in a bowl, add the onion, vinegar and the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. To assemble, spread the tahini sauce over a large plate. Arrange the beef on top, then the beetroot and mint. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

This is an edited extract from The Weeknight Cookbook by Justine Schofield. Published by Plum, $34.99. Photography by Jeremy Simons.