At the winter farmers market, I saw the most enormous beets. Larger than softballs, a bag of six went for $5. The growers are from Belarus. She’s as sweet as the Virgin Mary. He’s a welder, with a handshake that could crush golf balls. Feeling goofy with holiday cheer, I had to jest.
“Do you have any beets that are, like, bigger?” I asked, holding my hands apart to demonstrate big.
His windblown cheeks turned full crimson as he squinted, pondering if he should take offense. I broke the tension with a laugh. He punched me in the shoulder. Ouch.
I asked how they liked to eat beets. He leaned in conspiratorially. “Grated,” he said, gesticulating as much. “With Italian dressing.” He kissed his fingertips.
She gave me a recipe that I have come to call Christmas Sweater, because it’s busy and goes with everything. Consisting of cubed beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, and pickles, it’s both a side and condiment.
As for those grated raw beets, I was surprised by how palatable they are. Mixed with Italian dressing is indeed finger-kissing good, though I prefer it tossed with olive oil, salt, and white and red balsamic, and topped with goat cheese.
But perhaps my favorite thing of all to do with grated beets is fry them into pancakes, like a beet-based version of the potato latkes my Jewish mom would serve for Chanukah. The beets melt into a sweet, savory brown mouthful that will leave you wanting more.
Beet Latkes
Serves 2- 1 cup coarsely grated beets (no need to peel)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Dashes of pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh dill and sour cream or mayo, for garnishing
Whisk together the egg and milk. Add the flour and mix again. Then add the grated beets, along with the pepper. Mix well and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
Christmas Sweater
Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main- 2 half-pound potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 pound carrots
- 2 cups dill pickles
- 1 pound beets
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel and cube the veggies as perfectly as possible. Do the beets last, as you will need to wash the cutting board immediately. Whether it’s a potato, onion, carrot, pickle, or beet, start by cutting it in half lengthwise, and lay the flat sides down (carrots you can cut down to 4-inch lengths). Slicing straight down, cut off the tops and bottoms, then turn the knife 90 degrees and make a series of parallel cuts about 1/4-inch apart along the top-to-bottom axes. Turn each newly sliced half 90 degrees and make another series of crisp, 1/4-inch cuts.
The next part is tricky because it wants to fall apart. Try to pull apart each twice-sliced half, like “cutting” a deck of cards, and roll sideways onto the cutting board so you can cut perfect cubes. If it all falls apart, just do the best you can.
Bake the cubed beets and carrots in separate baking dishes for about 30 minutes, stirring each pan once (with separate implements), until they’re a little soft and a little crunchy. Then allow them to cool to room temperature.
When everything is cool, cubed, and cut, gently toss everything together, minus the beets, along with the salt and oil. Taste and adjust the seasonings, and then gently toss in the beets and serve.
