beet tartare

Spending time with friends who have known you more than half your life is good for the soul. This past weekend Michael I hung out with two of my oldest and greatest friends from high school and their families. As expected, it was like no time has past. We had such a great time. 

Last night Michael told me his favorite part of the weekend (besides all of the excellent food, drink, and company ... of course) was when we whipped out our yearbooks and laughed about our chubby cheeks and high school crushes. Some memories had us laughing so hard tears were running down our face.

I also leaned that I apparently have the memory of an elephant ... which can be good or bad, depending on what embarrassing story pops into my head. 

 

We were staying at my friend Sarah's mom's house which meant we were able to cook lots over the weekend. One of my favorite thing to do is cook a big meal with good friends. 

The first night we got home pretty late so we decided to make a one pot concoction that included some of my favorite ingredients: brussles sprouts, quinoa, and avocado. We also ate the leftovers for breakfast one morning. Yep. And it was just as delicious.

The second night when Michael, Laura, and her family arrived, we made a big dinner for everyone. Michael surprised everyone by taking over as head chef in the kitchen. I love it when he cooks. We made a few different things, one being this sweet potato and red onion recipe. That recipe has become a go-to of mine because of how easy, fool-proof, and tasty it is.  

Dinner was delicious and so much fun. A great new memory for my elephant brain. 

We did not make this beet tartare recipe, however, Sarah totally made my day when she told me how many recipes she has tried from my blog, and I am hoping that she will be trying this one too soon :)

 

beet tartare

Serves
about 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

2 large beets
1/4 cup of chopped chives
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon of capers, minced
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of freshly grated horseradish
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of salt
pepper

For serving: I like to reserve the beet greens to serve the tartare on. Caperberries also made a nice garnish. You can also serve this with toasted bread slices or crackers. 

Method

Start by boiling the beets:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the beets. Lower the heat but keep the water boiling. Cook for about 45 minutes, until the beets are tender. Remove them from the water and allow them to cool before removing the skins. 

While you're waiting for the beets to cool, prepare the marinade:

• In a large bowl, mix together the chives (reserving a pinch if you like for garnish), shallots, capers, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, olive oil, salt + pepper. Stir to combine. 

Peel and chop the beets:

• To avoid getting red stained hand, use gloves and line the cutting board with parchment. Then peel off the outer layer of the beets. Chop the peeled beets to a fine dice. 

Once the beets are chopped, toss with the marinade and assemble the dish:

• Toss the beets with the marinade until everything is well combined. Then, to serve, plate as you wish either on top of the beet greens with some capers on the side, or you can serve in a bowl with some toasted bread or crackers on the side.