Dinner Tonight: Beet Rösti
If beets aren't your thing to begin with, this recipe won't convince you otherwise. It's a butter-fried pancake made of nothing but shredded beets, flour, a bit of chopped rosemary, and good old salt and pepper. The flavor is earthy, rich, and sweet, but unmistakeably beet-y. The beets are treated like potatoes to make a Swiss rösti, with a little flour added to amp up the starch and hold the patty together. It can be served as a nice dinner along with a simple salad, or as an accompaniment to a main.
I found this recipe for beet rösti on Mark Bittman's New York Times blog Bitten and was attracted to its simplicity. The result is surprisingly hearty and filling as the butter it's fried in caramelizes the sugars and crisps the edges. The key is to use only enough flour to hold the beets together to prevent it from getting leaden.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.
Beet Rösti
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Bitten by Mark Bittman.
Ingredients
2 pounds beets (3 very large or 4 to 6 medium)
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
Minced parsley or a few rosemary leaves for garnish
Procedure
1. Using a peeler, remove the skins from the beets as you would from a potato, then grate them in a food processor or using a box grater.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beets and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add about half the flour and toss well to combine. Add a little more flour until the mixture holds together easily in a ball, using all the flour if necessary.
3. Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt the butter in it. As the butter begins to brown, add the beet mixture and press down with a spatula to form a round patty. Tuck in the sides until it resembles a circle.
4. Cook the pancake over medium-high heat until the bottom is crisp, about 10 minutes. Place a large plate over the pancake, then invert the skillet while holding the plate, so that the pancake falls onto it. Replace the skillet on the burner and slide the pancake back into the skillet, now with the other side facing the heat.
5. Cook until the other side is crisp, another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with the parsley or rosemary. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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7 Comments:
Oh! I bet that's a pretty dish
hungrychristel at 5:26PM on 09/18/08
One quibble-- I suspect that beet haters just might take to beets in this form. It's an outstanding dish, beautiful to look at, and a cinch to make. A good non-stick pan is a must.
darly gross at 5:58PM on 09/18/08
This looks awesome, I really need to try it. This could work really well cut into wedges and served with a steak for example.
However, I must admit something. I first read it as Beef Rösti . The colour of it sort of supports that mis-reading. Silly me ;)
// Mike
http://www.freestylecookery.com
merixon at 3:35AM on 09/19/08
I made this not long after seeing Bittman's post, it was easy and delicious! I stirred a little horseradish into some sour cream for a topping - perfect accent to the sweetness of the beets.
salty_sticky at 1:05PM on 09/19/08
Not worth the effort. I used really good organic beets, so that wasn't the problem. I usually like Bittman's recipes, but this one falls short on flavor.
pegfoley at 10:57AM on 09/24/08
Glad to see I'm not the only one drawn here with the promise of beef rosti ;)
kittie at 11:08AM on 09/24/08
It was a little hard to cook on the skillet when it came time to flip, because it is hard to tell exactly when it's the right crispiness. At first I was afraid of burning it, and when the dish was finished it did look a little on the burnt side. But to my surprise the "burnt" areas tasted much better than the soft, less cooked areas.
My mother said "Wow, I never knew beets could taste like this!" and I agree. It tasted like a unique pancake.
I topped my own serving with a little butter and brown sugar, it was DELICIOUS!
Auldan at 6:56PM on 09/30/08