Bite me: Beet bourguignon

The beetroot is the salt of the earth. From humble stock, it perhaps lacks the swaggering braggadocio of the all-conquering avocado but, with that said, it has not to date caused droughts in Mexico through intensive over-farming or left scores of brunch-crazed Brits in A&E with “avocado hand” injuries after slicing their fingers while extracting the fruits’ stones. So much for your green credentials, avocado.

In a popularity contest, therefore, the beet goes on. For the past month beetroot baes have dominated Instagram and Pinterest recipe posts, where the nascent hero vegetable has supplanted all comers as the meat surrogate of choice for Veganuary. Beetroot bourguignon is a particular hit, a hearty meal without meat to tempt even the most reluctant vegetable-eater back for seconds.

“This is a bolstering dish, and sits well on some crushed olive-oil- dressed potatoes with a good glass of wintry red,” says chef Anna Jones, who serves hers with bay leaves and parsnips to serve four to six people. “It’s easy — just 20 minutes getting everything into the pan and then it blips away happily on its own.”

French restaurant chain Aubaine launched a vegan menu this month which boasts a beetroot and apple tartare with avocado and mushroom bourguignon, as well as carrot bacon. At The Tap on the Line, an airy terraced boozer next to Kew Station, at the gateway to the sprawling botanical gardens, the menu proudly presents a chickpea and beetroot bourguignon, with courgette noodles and marinated mushrooms.

This beet proliferation should come as no surprise, for it is, as you might have guessed, a superfood. It’s low in fat, full of vitamins and minerals, and packed with powerful antioxidants. The leaves are edible, since they are basically chard, and it’s purple, which is an aesthetic livener for your plate. Meat-free beetroot patties are served with all the fixings, such as chili mayo and truffle cashew cheese in vegan chef Chandra Gilbert’s recipe, which can be found online.

A Californian company, Beyond Meat, backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, even offers a “plant-based” burger which goes brown on the outside and pink on the inside. It even “bleeds” beet juice like a real burger. Meat has met its match.