Grilled Halloumi and Roasted Beetroot Salad with Hazelnuts and Watercress with creamy Fetta dressing

Beetroots roasted whole in foil until the skins slip off, halloumi grilled to a salty squeak, the two tossed together with peppery watercress, sliced radish and toasted hazelnuts. A whipped fetta dressing slicks the bottom of the bowl. Eastern Mediterranean flavours, autumn weight.

Roasting beetroot whole in foil rather than boiling or steaming is the technique that concentrates the sweetness rather than diluting it. The foil parcel traps the moisture; the long, slow cook (around an hour at 180 degrees fan-forced) caramelises the natural sugars; the skins slip off effortlessly under cold running water once the beetroots have cooled enough to handle.

The whipped fetta dressing is the upgrade that turns this from a side into a centrepiece. Riverina Greek-style fetta blitzed in a food processor with Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil and a splash of milk until the mixture goes pale, smooth and pourable. The salty, lactic depth sits underneath the salad and bumps every other ingredient up.

Grill the halloumi in 1cm slices on a smoking-hot griddle until the surface goes bronze and stripes appear; flip once. Don't overcook; halloumi goes from squeaky and soft to rubbery and tight in under thirty seconds. Hazelnuts toasted in a dry oven until the skins slip; watercress for peppery sharpness; radishes sliced thin for water and bite. Sea salt and black pepper. A glass of cold Provencal rose alongside.