Rocket, chorizo and egg salad

Method

1. Boil the eggs in well-salted water for 6-7 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water to stop the cooking.

2. To prepare the beetroot, leave 5cm of leaf stalks on top and the whole root on the beet. Hold it under a running tap and wash off the mud with the palms of your hands, so you don’t damage the skin — otherwise the beetroot will bleed during cooking. Cover with cold water and add a little salt and sugar.

3. Cover the pot, bring to the boil and simmer on top, or in an oven, for 1-2 hours depending on size. Beetroot are usually cooked when the skins rub off easily and when they dent when pressed with a finger. If in doubt, test with a skewer or the tip of a knife.

4. Meanwhile, whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together in a bowl. Just before serving, heat a little olive oil in a pan.

5. Over a medium heat, cook the slices of chorizo for a minute or two until they warm through and the oil begins to run.

6. Meanwhile, toss the salad leaves in a little dressing and arrange on the base of the serving plate. Peel the eggs and cut lengthways, the centres should be still soft (they will be best if still warm). Arrange haphazardly on top of the leaves.

7. Tuck beetroot quarters in between the leaves and sprinkle the slices of chorizo over the salad. Grate some hard cheese over the top. Drizzle the salad with the chorizo oil from the pan. Serve immediately with lots of crusty sourdough bread and some homemade mayonnaise.