My local supermarket stopped selling fresh beets a couple of months before lockdown. Gutted. Whilst the freshly peeled and cooked ones might be easier to chuck in a salad, I love the rich, earthy taste of the real thing! 

A couple of weeks ago my lovely friend Sarah found fresh beets at a different supermarket and immediately bought me three big bunches! Many of those have made their way into my tomatoless sauce ... but what to do with the rest?

I love the root vegetable gratin recipe. You can add beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes depending on what you have available. 

INGREDIENTS

4 beetroots 

2 parsnips 

1 sweet potato

1 tsp olive oil

200g cashews

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

500ml litre water 

1 tsp vegan bouillon 

2 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1 tsp rosemary

Salt and black pepper to season

Add the cashew nuts to a nutribullet cup along with the nutritional yeast and bouillon powder. Pour in the water and vinegar and leave to soak for 1 hour

Pre-heat the oven to 200C

Peel the veg, then use a sharp knife or mandolin to thinly slice it into discs

Grease a ceramic dish with olive oil and layer the veg into the dish, seasoning with a pinch of salt and rosemary over each layer  

Blitz the cashews into a cream, you might want to add more water if needed. The cream should be a consistency between milk and single cream - not too thick as it will thicken as it bakes

Pour the cream over the veg, season with salt and pepper

Tightly cover the dish in foil and bake in the oven for 30 mins, remove the foil and bake for a further 15 mins

Serve piping hot with fresh rosemary or thyme