Gluten Free Roasted Beetroot, Squash and Goats cheese Salad

This weekend I had a go at a nice tasty warm salad, and wanted it to involve beetroot as I have never cooked them before. We made up this recipe, involving things we like, with the aim of it being sorta healthy and full of vegetables. It's a warm salad. This makes enough salad for two people, who really like beetroot! Use that soft goats cheese that is like Philadelphia.

butternut squash 1/2, sliced into 1 cm thick slices (peel it if the skin seems thick)
fresh beetroot 4 washed and topped and tailed
salad leaves (we used a rocket mix)
soft goats cheese one little tub
lemon 1, juiced
olive oil
chili flakes ground coriander thyme sprigs
red onion 1, chopped into chunks
salt and pepper
optional parma ham and sage leaves

Ok, beetroot takes yonks to cook, so put your whole beetroot, thyme sprigs and onion into a snug baking dish, drizzle in oil and put in the oven for 2 hours at 180 degrees c, cover your dish lightly with foil, with some holes in, to stop them burning and turn every half hour or so. Put your butternut squash slices in a bowl and cover with a slick of oil, then sprinkle with chili flakes (go easy!), salt and ground coriander, mix around and lay on a non stick baking tray. When your beetroot have 45 mins left put the squash in, and turn half way through.

While thats cooking make a salad dressing with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Go for half and half oil to lemon juice as its nice quite tart.

So the oven beeps and your veg are cooked, turn it off and leave the squash in there while you peel the beetroot. If you scrape with a knife the skin will just peel off, its only thin. Chop them into rough chunks, sprinkle with a little salt and put to keep warm in the oven with the squash till you are ready.

To serve make a ring of salad leaves, pile the squash in the middle, put the beetroot on top, and then blob on bits of goats cheese with a spoon. Drizzle everything with your salad dressing.

We also topped our salad with some strips of parma ham crisped up in a frying pan, and some fried sage leaves, squash loves sage.

You could serve this as a nice starter, in little portions or in the middle as a big shared dish, or it makes a lovely main. Leave out the cheese for a vegan option. I'm not sure what meat it would go with if you wanted it as a side dish, maybe chicken without the goats cheese? We were happy with just a nice big bowl of salad!