Sheet Pan

Beets with Almonds and Horseradish Crème Fraîche

by:
April 18, 2014
4
2 Ratings
Beets with Almonds and Horseradish Crème Fraîche
Photo by Gentl & Hyers
  • Serves four
Author Notes

In this combination, the almonds enhance the beets’ earthiness, and the bracing, creamy horseradish dressing offers not just richness but also a bit of a bite. Be sure not to discard the leafy greens from the beets; they are a wonderful vegetable in and of themselves. Chop beet greens and add to a soup, or slice and sauté them with garlic and chili as you would spinach or any leafy green. Waste not, want not, as they say!

Excerpted from the book BUVETTE by Jody Williams. © 2014 by Jody Williams. Reprinted by permission of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved. —Jody Williams

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch beets, leafy greens removed, but leave 1 or 2 inches of the stems, scrubbed and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vinaigrette
  • 3 tablespoons raw almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup crème fraîche
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish or 1 tablespoon freshly grated horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • Coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Place the beets and the water in a baking dish or on a rimmed sheet pan. Roast the beets, turning occasionally, until they’re cooked through, about 45 minutes depending on their size. To test for doneness, insert a paring knife into the largest beet—it should be able to go through with barely any resistance.
  3. Let the beets rest until they’re cool enough to handle. Trim off and discard the stem ends of the beets and carefully peel the beets. Cut the beets into bite-size wedges and place them into a bowl. Add the vinaigrette and the almonds to the bowl and stir to combine. At this point the beets can be stored for up to a week; they only get better as they marinate in the dressing.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, horseradish, and vinegar and season the mixture with salt.
  5. To serve, dollop the crème fraîche mixture onto the beets and drizzle with the olive oil.
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4 Reviews

Coco
Coco January 30, 2016
The vinaigrette is 1/2 C. evoo, 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar, 2 large shallots, minced, 1 small clove garlic, microplaned, 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1 pinch sugar, a few grinds black pepper. Whisk it all together and use half of it in this recipe.
 
Beth100
Beth100 April 22, 2014
This looks wonderful! I would think that the vinaigrette could make or break it – is this recipe available as well?
 
ATG117
ATG117 April 22, 2014
Is the vinaigrette just a standard vinaigrette?
 
Victoria C.
Victoria C. April 22, 2014
This is my FAVORITE dish at Buvette. It is delicious. I am only hoping, hoping, hoping that the recipe for Jody Williams' Sicilian Meatballs will be available, but as it is not French, I am not holding my breath. But I am going to save this one and try it immediately. It will be interesting to see if it's a lot better that the variation I cobbled together after I at there.