This beetroot tartare is one of those dishes that looks fancy but is really, simply, all about highlighting the vegetable. Some herbs, fresh horseradish root, a pop of acidity, and a hit of salt are all beets need to make them sing! The lemon-horseradish (cashew) cream just puts them over the top. It takes a little time to roast the beets but the actual preparation of the tartare is really quite simple. It’s a lot like preparing a salad. A little chopping and mixing. A little dressing.
In fact, while I often think of this beetroot tartare as an appetizer, it’s equally appropriate as a salad or side.
And there you go! Ready for the closeup. Easy peasy.
P.S. For the presentation, I used this mold to shape the beetroot tartare but the tartare is also beautiful spooned onto a platter in a more organic way. Just put a smear of the lemon-horseradish cream to one side and garnish with a little fresh dill.
- 1 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 cup water (plus more for soaking)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon plus two teaspoons finely grated horseradish
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds trimmed (but not peeled) red beets
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons chives
- 2 teaspoons finely grated horseradish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Maldon salt (or other flaky salt)
- Put your cashews in a bowl. Add enough water to cover them. Let your cashews soak for two hours. (Note: I start with the cream because of the soaking time.)
- When the cashews are done soaking, remove them from the soaking water. Transfer them to a high speed blender. Add 1 cup of fresh water. Add the lemon juice, horseradish, lemon zest and salt. Pulse to get the cashews going. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a couple of times. Then blend until smooth.
- Transfer the cashew cream to a bowl and cover. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the beets in a baking dish. Coat them with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Fill the dish a little less than halfway with water. Roast the beets for 30 minutes. Turn the beets. Then roast the beets until tender, which will typically take between 60 and 90 minutes total cook time depending on the size of your beets. Your beets are tender if a knife slides in easily all the way to the center.
- Remove the beets from the water. Transfer them to the refrigerator and let them cool until chilled.
- When the beets are chilled, remove the peel. Dice the beets and transfer them to a mixing bowl. (If you don't want pink hands, consider gloves; I generally go without and just give my hands a good scrub afterwards.)
- Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the apple cider vinegar, the dill, chives, horseradish and salt. Mix gently with a spoon so that the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
- To serve, transfer the beets to a plate, either formed in a mold or served loose. Spread some cashew cream on one side of the beets. Enjoy!
- Serves 4-6
- This recipe makes quite a bit of tartare. The tartare pictured in this photograph is about a third of the entire recipe.
