VEGETABLE & BEEF SALAD WITH GARLIC DRESSING

My boyfriend detests salads. It’s really a shame, as I adore them, especially in the hot summer and spring months. To trick him the other night, I made a warm vegetable and beef salad. The oblivious guy did not even notice that his dinner was technically a salad (bless him). The garlic mayonnaise dressing adds a tangy taste to this salad and prevents it from becoming a mundane dinner with roast vegetables. If you have read my blog more than once, you may have noticed that pine nuts make a regular appearance in small amounts (usually a tablespoon at a time). Pine nuts are as the name sounds; they are the nuts or seeds of pine trees. I discovered them when I first made pesto (as they are basically essential to creating a yummy pesto sauce) and I now use them for meat and vegetable dishes as well as dips and bread baking. Whilst expensive, you only need small quantities in dishes to appreciate their full flavour. 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 400g sweet potato, cut into 3cm pieces
• 250g potato (sebago), cut into 3cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 200g lean beef pieces, cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 80-100g rocket, washed
• 10 large garlic cloves, unpeeled 
• 2 tablespoons pine nutes
• 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
• a pinch of smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons water

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan forced. Prepare a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine sweet potato, potato, rosemary, garlic and pine nuts with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl and toss well. Place the vegetable mixture on the prepared baking tray in a single layer. Bake for around 25-30 minutes or until both types of potatoes are tender. Place all ingredients but the garlic in a serving plate or bowl. 

3. Remove the garlic from the skin by pressing gently. (If the garlic has had ample time to cook, the skin of the garlic should easily come away). Place garlic in a small bowl and mash well. Add mayonnaise and smoked paprika and mix well to combine. If need be, add 2 tablespoons of water to thin down the dressing. 

4. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small frying pan. Add beef strips and cook, stirring constantly, for around 3-5 minutes or until beef is browned. 

5. Serve cooked vegetables and beef on a bed of rocket with mayonnaise dressing drizzled on top. 

x E