Beetroot and fennel gratin with macadamia and hazelnut dukkah

Beetroot and fennel gratin with macadamia and hazelnut dukkah

Beetroot & fennel gratin with macadamia & hazelnut dukkah

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice and seed mix to scatter over dishes to add another flavour dimension- a colourful veggie dish

  • Serves 6
  • Moderately easy

Nutrition per serving

  • Calories 728
  • Carbohydrates 19
  • Saturated Fat 32
  • Sugar 12
  • Protein 15
  • Fat 66
  • Fiber 6
  • Salt 2.3

Ingredients

  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

  • 1 tsp thyme, leaves picked and chopped

  • 500ml double cream

  • 50ml soy sauce, or 1 tsp sea salt

  • small knob of butter, for the dish

  • 700g beetroot, thinly sliced

  • 300g potatoes, thinly sliced

  • 1 large fennel bulb, sliced crosswise

  • 1 leek, washed and sliced into rings

  • thumb-sized piece ginger, grated

  • 6 large eggs

  • 85g bag watercress, washed

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

  • 100g macadamia nuts

  • 100g hazelnuts

  • 50g sesame seeds

  • 2 tsp coriander seeds

  • 2 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1½ tbsp fennel seeds

  • 1½ tsp ground fenugreek

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp hot smoked paprika (optional)

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. To make the dukkah, put the macadamias and hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 8 mins or until just golden. Leave to cool, then chop in a food processor and tip into a bowl. Roast the sesame, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds on a separate tray for 5 mins or until golden. Cool, then using a grinder or pestle and mortar, grind to a medium powder with the fenugreek, salt and hot smoked paprika, if using. Add to the ground nuts, mix thoroughly and set aside.

  2. Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Put the garlic, thyme, cream and soy or salt in a small pan and place over a medium heat to warm through. Remove and set aside.

  3. Butter a 30 x 20cm ovenproof dish and layer up the vegetables. First put 2 layers of beetroot, then a layer of potato, a scattering of fennel, leek and ginger, and spoon over a little cream mixture. Repeat this process until you have used up all the vegetables and cream, finishing with a layer of beetroot. Press down on the gratin, then cover with foil and bake for 45 mins or until the vegetables are tender.

  4. Remove foil from the gratin. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake for a further 10 mins or until the top begins to brown. Remove gratin from the oven and let stand for about 10 mins.

  5. Meanwhile, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Boil the eggs for 7 mins, then cool under cold running water, peel and set aside. Keep the pan of water as you will need this later to reheat the eggs.

  6. To serve, reheat the peeled eggs in boiling water for 1-2 mins, the cut in half lengthways. Cut the beetroot gratin into 6 squares and put a piece on each of 6 plates. Scatter a handful of watercress over each, then carefully position 2 egg halves on top. Sprinkle a generous spoonful of dukkah over each half and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.