Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan-forced (or 210°C conventional).

First roast the beetroot. Place the chopped beetroot in a large baking dish in a single layer. Pour in 125ml water and cover the dish with foil. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the beetroot is tender (a knife should easily pierce through the flesh).

As the beetroot is roasting, make the mandarin-thyme dressing. Place all ingredients in a jar, seal tightly with a lid and shake to combine, set aside to allow the flavours to infuse.

To finish the salad, drain any roasting liquid and transfer the beetroot to a large bowl to cool for 5 minutes. Line the baking dish with baking paper (don’t worry about cleaning it first) and reduce the oven temperature to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). To the beetroot wedges, add 3 tbsp of the dressing and toss to evenly coat. Tip out onto the lined baking dish and spread out the beetroot into a single layer. Add the chopped hazelnuts alongside the beetroot and roast uncovered for 15 minutes until the hazelnuts are golden brown and the beetroot is starting to caramelise a little. Meanwhile, place the torn kale leaves in a large bowl. Add 3 tbsp of the dressing and using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale leaves until it becomes tender. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the kale to soften. Peel the mandarins, stand each mandarin on its side and using a sharp knife carefully slice into three rounds, about 1cm thick, so the cross section shows off the segments. Remove the roasted beetroot and hazelnuts from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

To assemble, arrange the softened kale on the base of a large serving platter. Top with the roasted beetroot, mandarin slices (cut side facing upwards), hazelnuts and feta. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and finish with a scattering of fresh thyme sprigs.