Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, and if I could get my hands on fresh beets now, beet tartare is probably what I would make for my husband. It's one of his favorite dishes, and it looks just fussy enough for a special occasion dinner, but by no means takes either planning or even much hands-on time.
Beet tartare is, of course, a riff off beef tartare. The meat version is raw, and garnished with capers, shallots, fresh ground pepper, Dijon mustard, and cornichons, served on top of toasted country-style bread.
Instead of beef, we use red beets. Roast them in the oven until they are soft when poked with a fork. Peel them and cut them into a tiny dice (aim for 1cm cubes).
Now mix with a little soy to taste, and dress with the traditional garnishes of a beef tartare. Be light with the soy; the capers and cornichons will already add plenty of salt.
You can serve it with a runny egg on the side if you like. And potato chips are a nice alternative to toasted bread, especially if you have fancy waffle chips.
See? That wasn't so fussy! You just need to plan ahead for the roasting of the beets.
The beets taste better as they marinate, plus this dish can be served cold or at room temperature, so this is a great dish to prepare in advance!
Beet Tartare Garnishes
🥄 Tamari
🥄 Chopped drained capers
🥄 Cornichon slivers
🥄 Grainy Dijon mustard
🥄 Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
🥄 Neutral oil
🥄 Finely chopped shallot
🥄 Freshly ground black pepper
🥄 Mayonnaise (my secret weapon)
