Name: Beetroot salad with Blackcurrant vinaigrette
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: ¾ lb red beetroot, peeled and grated; ½ lb golden beetroot or other variety of beetroot such as Chioggiapeeled and grated; 1 large shallot, thinly sliced; 1 -2 beetroot greens (tops) finely sliced (optional); 2 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard; 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 ½ tbsp blackcurrant vinegar or other flavoured vinegar such as red wine vinegar or chive blossom vinegar; fresh or dried dill to taste; sea salt and black pepper to taste; ¾ cup Yogurt Dill Sauce

DifficultyIntermediate

Fresh garden beets (or beetroot as it is often called) are plentiful this time of year and this is a great way to make use of whatever varieties of beets you have on hand or can buy locally. In this salad I used red beets and Chioggia beets from my garden. Chioggia beets are a lovely striped pink and white beet. As with all beets the tops of the beet root is edible and really lovely. I even used a little in this salad, however it is entirely optional. This salad comes together in about 20 minutes and makes a great stand alone vegetarian lunch. In talking to friends about beetroot, most of whom had an aversion to beetroot, they told me about how beetroot was prepared or served in their families growing up. I was surprised to find out that many prepared it un-peeled! No wonder they think all beetroot tastes like dirt. Many others only ever tried store bought canned beets. When it comes to beetroot, preparation is key. To bring out it's natural sweetness, prepare it raw, roasted or pickled. The simplest and least messy way to prepare the beets is to use a vegetable peeler to peel them (in the kitchen sink). If you have a food processor, use the grating blade to grate the beets. Otherwise use a hand grater. Adding the yogurt/sour cream lemon dill sauce(optional) to this came about quite by accident. I had prepared roasted potatoes and served them alongside this salad and decided to top with my yogurt dill sauce and wow oh wow was it good!! I ended up drizzling the sauce on the beet salad. It reminded me of the creamy beet and cucumber based dishes and salads I enjoyed when I lived in Estonia.

Yields8 Servings

Prep Time20 minsTotal Time20 mins

¾ lb red beetroot, peeled and grated about 2 1/2 cups grated beetroot

½ lb golden beetroot or other variety of beetroot such as Chioggiapeeled and grated about 2 cups grated beetroot

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 -2 beetroot greens (tops) finely sliced (optional)

2 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard

1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 ½ tbsp blackcurrant vinegar or other flavoured vinegar such as red wine vinegar or chive blossom vinegar I used Elysée brand Blackcurrant flavoured wine vinegar

fresh or dried dill to taste

sea salt and black pepper to taste

¾ cup Yogurt Dill Sauce

Whisk the mustard, olive oil and vinegar together in a medium glass bowl. Add the peeled and grated beetroot and shallot to the vinaigrette. Toss the salad gently and season with dill and salt and pepper.

Serve topped with yogurt dill sauce if desired. Store the beet salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the beetroot will "bleed" as it sits so be prepared for extra pink beetroot juice on your plate.