Hot Scottish chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s menu has neither a neep nor tattie in sight, and (whisper it) there’s no haggis... But if you want to celebrate 25 January with something different, Roberta’s menu showcases the contemporary side of Scotland’s food scene. It’s a little bit cheffy, but everything can be made in advance – we’ll raise a wee dram to that
PHOTOGRAPHS KATE WHITAKER FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN AND POLLYANNA COUPLAND STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
Smoked duck and beetroot salad
Serves 6 Hands-on time 45 min Simmering time 1 hour Specialist kit Handful smoking chips
MAKE AHEAD Prepare everything to the end of step 5 up to 1 day ahead and keep separately in the fridge – then all you need to do on the day is dress and assemble the salad.
KNOW-HOW It’s a good idea to wear gloves when prepping the beetroot to avoid staining your hands.
BE A BETTER COOK Hot-smoking at home can seem intimidating, but it’s easy. You can buy smoking chips where you get charcoal for your barbecue, and the foil-nest-in-a-pan method ensures an easy clean up and stops your kitchen getting too smoky. Give it a go!
• 400g beetroot, ideally golden
and/or candy heritage beets
• 2 large duck breasts
• 200g bitter leaves (such
as chicory and radicchio)
• 2 clementines, segmented
or finely chopped
• 20g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
For the dressing
• 500ml beetroot juice
• 20ml olive oil
• 20ml sherry vinegar
For the relish
• 250g red beetroot
• 60g dark soft brown sugar
• 60ml white wine vinegar
1 To make the dressing, pour the beetroot juice into a saucepan and put over a medium-high heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until it has reduced down into a syrup (around 50ml). Leave to cool, then whisk in the olive oil and sherry vinegar. Season to taste, then put in the fridge.
2 To make the relish, peel the red beetroot (see Know-how), then grate into a saucepan. Stir in the sugar and vinegar, then put over a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced to form a syrupy relish. Cool, then season with salt.
3 Put the heritage beetroot in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a big pinch of salt, put over a medium heat → and bring to a simmer. Cook for 45-50 minutes until the beetroot is tender. Drain, leave until cool enough to handle, then peel the skin off (it should come away easily) and cut into chunks. Leave to cool.
4 Put the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry frying pan. Put over a medium heat and cook, undisturbed, for around 5 minutes, or until the fat has rendered out and the skin turns golden. Flip the breasts, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan and leave to rest.
