Roasted Beet Salad

Heat the oven to 200°C. Choose beetroot of a similar size so they cook evenly. Scrub the beetroot under the cold tap and twist off the leaves, leaving 2 cm of stalk, but keep the skin and the thin root on: unbroken skin holds the colour and juice inside as it roasts.

Rub the beetroot with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and a little salt, wrap each one loosely in foil and seal the edges. Set the parcels on a baking tray and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, longer for very large ones, until a thin knife slides through the foil into the centre with no resistance.

Meanwhile, peel the shallots and slice them into thin rings. Put them in a small bowl with the vinegar and a pinch of salt and leave them for at least 15 minutes, stirring now and then. The vinegar takes away their harsh raw edge and turns them pink.

Put the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast them for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they smell nutty and darken a shade. Add the honey and a pinch of salt and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the honey foams and clings to every nut; take the pan off the heat before it darkens past amber. Tip the nuts onto baking paper and spread them apart; the honey coating sets crisp as they cool.

When the beetroot is tender, open the parcels and leave it until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Rub off the skins with kitchen paper (gloves keep hands from staining), trim off the stalk and root and cut each beetroot into wedges about 2 cm thick.

Lift the shallots out of the vinegar with a fork and set them aside. Whisk the mustard into the vinegar left in the bowl with a little salt and black pepper, then whisk in the remaining 4 tbsp of olive oil until the dressing thickens slightly.

Toss the still-warm beetroot with half the dressing in a bowl and leave it for 10 minutes. It soaks up the dressing as it cools, and cool beetroot will not wilt the rocket.

If using the oranges, slice off the top and bottom of each, stand it upright and cut away the peel and white pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit. Holding it over a bowl, cut between the membranes to free the segments, then squeeze the juice from the leftover membranes into the remaining dressing.

Toss the rocket with a little of the remaining dressing and spread it over a large platter. Arrange the beetroot on top, leaving its pink juices behind in the bowl, then add the orange segments, if using, and the shallots.

Crumble the goat cheese over the top straight from the fridge, scatter over the walnuts, spoon over the last of the dressing and finish with a grind of black pepper. Serve straight away, without tossing, so the beetroot does not stain the cheese pink.