Chef Thomas
A Ploughman's Salad
The old pub ploughman's, shaken loose from its board and laid across butter lettuce with a sharp mustard dressing, for the kind of lunch that feels like you've given yourself the afternoon off.
Culinary Explorer
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Warm Puy Lentil Salad with Roasted Beetroot and Mustard
Created by Chef Thomas
Earthy lentils and sweet roasted beetroot brought together by a sharp mustard dressing, piled over peppery watercress. The kind of bowl that makes October feel like a good place to be.
Salads
British
Weeknight
Make Ahead
20 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 servings
October. The light has changed. The kitchen window catches the last of the afternoon sun, lower now, warmer in colour if not in temperature. The beetroot I brought home from Saturday's market still had their leaves on, soil clinging to the roots, and they sat on the counter like something dug up from a painting.
This is the salad I make when summer has properly gone and I don't miss it. Puy lentils, the small slate-green French ones that hold their shape and taste of the earth they grew in. Beetroot, roasted until the edges caramelize and the flesh turns from raw and chalky to something dense, sweet, almost jammy. A dressing with enough mustard to make your eyes water, enough vinegar to cut through the sweetness, enough oil to bring it all together. Watercress underneath, because watercress has an iron bite that stands up to everything else on the plate.
I've written this one in the notebook several times across different years. The notes are always short. "Lentils. Beetroot. Mustard. Wednesday. Cold outside, warm bowl." That's all it needed. A recipe is a conversation, not a contract. The beetroot might be golden one week, the lentils dressed while still warm another, a few walnuts scattered on top if the mood takes you. Your kitchen, your rules.
There are few better feelings than putting a warm plate of this in front of someone on a dark evening. It looks like you tried. You did, but not very hard. That's the secret of it.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
beetroot
Quantity
4-5 medium (about 500g)
scrubbed and cut into wedges
olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons, plus extra for the beetroot
Puy lentils
Quantity
250g
bay leaf
Quantity
1
shallot
Quantity
1 small
finely diced
red wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
wholegrain mustard
Quantity
1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
watercress
Quantity
100g
tough stems removed
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
a small handful
roughly chopped
soft goat's cheese (optional)
Quantity
to taste
crumbled
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| beetrootscrubbed and cut into wedges | 4-5 medium (about 500g) |
| olive oil | 3 tablespoons, plus extra for the beetroot |
| Puy lentils | 250g |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| shallotfinely diced | 1 small |
| red wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| wholegrain mustard | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
| watercresstough stems removed | 100g |
| flat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped | a small handful |
| soft goat's cheese (optional)crumbled | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large roasting tin
- •Medium saucepan
- •Wide serving dish or shallow bowl
Instructions
- 1
Roast the beetroot
Set the oven to 200C/180C fan. Tumble the beetroot wedges onto a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and turn them through with your hands until everything is glossy. Spread them out so they have room. Crowded beetroot steams; spaced beetroot roasts. Put them in the oven and leave them alone for forty to forty-five minutes, turning once halfway through. You'll know they're done when a knife slides through without resistance and the edges have gone dark and sticky. The kitchen will smell sweet and earthy, like a root cellar in the best possible way.
Don't peel the beetroot before roasting. The skin protects them in the heat and slips off easily afterwards if you want it gone. I leave it on. It adds texture and saves you staining everything in the kitchen purple. - 2
Cook the lentils
While the beetroot roasts, rinse the Puy lentils under cold water. Put them in a saucepan, cover generously with cold water, tuck the bay leaf in, and bring to a steady simmer. No salt yet. Salt toughens the skins. Cook for twenty to twenty-five minutes until they're tender but still have a gentle bite. They should hold their shape, not turn to mush. Drain them, discard the bay leaf, and tip the lentils into a wide bowl while they're still warm. Warm lentils drink up a dressing. Cold lentils resist it.
Puy lentils are not negotiable here. Other lentils turn to porridge. Puy hold their shape, have a peppery, mineral flavour, and look handsome on the plate. They've earned their reputation. - 3
Make the mustard dressing
In a small bowl or a jar, combine the diced shallot with the red wine vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes. The vinegar takes the raw edge off the shallot and turns it pink and mild. Add the Dijon mustard, the wholegrain mustard, and a good pinch of salt. Whisk in the olive oil until it comes together into something thick and glossy. Taste it. It should be sharp and punchy, almost too much on its own. It needs to be. The lentils and beetroot will absorb and soften the blow.
- 4
Dress the warm lentils
Pour most of the dressing over the warm lentils and stir through gently. Season with salt and pepper. Taste. Then taste again. The lentils should be savoury and bright, with the mustard humming in the background. Let them sit for five minutes to absorb everything while the beetroot finishes.
- 5
Assemble and serve
Spread the watercress across a wide serving dish or pile it onto individual plates. Spoon the dressed lentils over the watercress, letting some of the leaves poke through. Arrange the roasted beetroot wedges on top and among the lentils, not too carefully. Drizzle the remaining dressing over everything. Scatter the parsley, and crumble over the goat's cheese if you're using it. Serve while the lentils and beetroot are still warm against the cool watercress. That contrast is the whole point of the dish.
If you have walnuts, toast a handful in a dry pan until they smell warm and nutty, crush them roughly, and scatter them over the top. They're not essential, but they earn their place.
Chef Tips
- •Dress the lentils while they're warm. This is not optional. Warm lentils are porous and generous; they soak up the vinaigrette and carry the mustard flavour right through. Cold lentils sit there wearing the dressing like a coat they didn't choose. The difference is everything.
- •The mustard dressing should taste too strong on its own. If you taste it from the spoon and think it's balanced, it's too mild for the job. Lentils and beetroot are earthy, sweet, and dense. They need a dressing with backbone. Trust your nose. It knows before you do.
- •If you can find golden beetroot alongside the red, use both. The colour on the plate is remarkable, amber and crimson against the grey-green lentils, and the flavour differs too: golden beetroot is milder, sweeter, less mineral. But red alone is perfectly fine. The market decides.
- •This keeps well. Pack the lentils and beetroot together, the watercress separately, and you have two days of lunches that taste better than anything you'll buy. Bring the lentils to room temperature before eating or warm them gently. The watercress goes on at the last moment.
Advance Preparation
- •The beetroot can be roasted up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature or warm gently in the oven before assembling.
- •The lentils can be cooked and dressed a day ahead. Store refrigerated and bring to room temperature before serving. They'll taste even better as the dressing soaks in overnight.
- •The mustard dressing keeps in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. Give it a good shake before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 280g)
Calories
410 calories
Total Fat
15 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
520 mg
Total Carbohydrates
54 g
Dietary Fiber
10 g
Sugars
11 g
Protein
19 g
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