Apple, squash, beetroot, tarragon and yogurt salad

Autumn

This is a great salad to try out in the autumn when squash and apples are available and the beetroot is still nice and earthy. The lemon juice softens the veg, so it doesn’t seem as raw as it actually is, but it also brings its quieter flavour notes to the fore. The dressing is wonderfully fragrant thanks to the tarragon, a herb we don’t use anything like enough in the kitchen.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2–3 small, fresh beetroot (beets)
  • 2 apples
  • 200g (7oz) squash (such as butternut)
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the dressing

  • 3–4 tarragon sprigs, leaves chopped, plus a few extra leaves to garnish
  • 4 tablespoons natural (plain) yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons runny honey
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Peel the beetroot (beets) then slice each one into very thin rounds. You can do this with a very sharp knife or, if you are feeling brave, a mandolin. Either way, they shouldn’t be thicker than a couple of millimetres (¾in). Place the beetroot rounds in a large bowl.

Quarter, core and slice the apples into thin wedges and add these to the bowl with the beetroot. Trim away the skin from the wedge of squash then use a peeler to pare nice broad thin ribbons from the squash into the bowl. Keep peeling until you can’t peel any more; save any unpeelable squash for stock or soup making. Add the lemon zest and juice to the bowl along with some salt and pepper, then tumble everything together. Set the bowl aside for 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar or bowl, with salt and pepper to taste, and give them a good shake or a stir.

To serve, spoon half the dressing over the salad and stir it through lightly. It doesn’t have to coat everything at this point. Lift the salad out onto a large plate or platter and spoon over the remaining dressing. Scatter over the extra tarragon leaves and bring to the table.

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