Celeriac and beet salad with lemon, chilli and mint

“This is inspired by a 'crunchy salad' I enjoyed with girlfriends at Jamie's Italian restaurant in Perth. Jamie Oliver and I share a love for all things fresh – and hot. Raw beetroot and carrot salad is something I make and eat a lot. I also add mint and chilli to almost everything. But the addition of celeriac? Genius. I can eat the entire salad myself, but if you’re not as greedy, it serves two or even more as a side.”

• serves

  2-3

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot, peeled 
• 1 beetroot, trimmed, peeled
• ½ large celeriac (see Note), trimmed, peeled
• 1 large handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1 red bird’s-eye chilli, seeds removed (optional), finely chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• a few good glugs of extra virgin olive oil
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Finely shred the carrot, beetroot and celeriac using a mandolin, grater or food processor.

Combine the vegetables in a bowl (add the beetroot at the end if you don't want it to colour everything with its juices). Add the mint and chilli, and toss well to combine.

Dress with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season really well with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Note

• If you can't get your hands on celeriac, use extra carrot or beetroot. Alternatively, substitute turnip, swede or kohlrabi. They have a similar colour and texture, but completely different flavour.

Recipe from My Darling Lemon Thyme. Recipe, styling and photography by Emma Galloway.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.