Serves 4, or 6 as a side dish
500g new potatoes, scrubbed
500g young beetroot, scrubbed and trimmed
2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to finish
Freshly ground black pepper
1 whole garlic bulb, halved horizontally
8-12 anchovy fillets, to taste
Squeeze of lemon juice
A crisp lettuce or a handful of flat-leaf parsley, to serve (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized (3-4cm) pieces. Halve or quarter the beetroot so they are in similar sized pieces to the potatoes.
2 Put all the vegetables into a roasting tray. Trickle over the oil, add some black pepper (the anchovies are already quite salty) and toss together. Nestle the two halves of the garlic bulb in among the vegetables and lay the anchovies on top of the vegetables (make sure they don’t touch the base of the tray or they’ll overcook).
3 Cover with foil and roast for 1 hour. Check that the beetroot is completely tender by poking a few pieces with the tip of a sharp knife. Give it another 10-20 minutes if necessary (older beetroot can take quite a bit of roasting). Leave to cool, still covered with the foil.
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4 When the vegetables are completely cool, transfer them to a large bowl. Squeeze the soft garlic cloves out of their skins back into the vegetables and tumble the whole lot together, so the juices are well distributed and the anchovies, which will be almost dissolved by now, break down into the juices and coat the vegetables. Taste and give it a squeeze of lemon juice and more black pepper, if it’s needed (it’s unlikely you’ll have to add extra salt).
5 Toss a handful of parsley leaves through, or serve with, or over, a crisp green salad.
Recipe extracted from River Cottage Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on September 11 and available from the Times bookshop for £22.50 (RRP £25), free p&p, on 0845 2712134; timesbooks.co.uk