This might not be shocking to hear, but beets show up quite a bit in Slavic cooking. Most famously, they are the star ingredient of various borscht/barszcz recipes accoss the region, and ćwikła, a grated beet and horseradish condiment that is almost always served on Easter and many Passover meals.

This recipe is for a simple (but potentially messy) shredded beet salad can be served as a side or accompaniment for lunch or dinner. By the way, if you get beets with the stems and leaves, don’t discard them. They are very healthy and you can cook the greens down with some garlic and lemon!

This will make between 4-6 servings depending on the size of your beets and appetite.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 beets
• 2 tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 tbsp. olive or sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. spicy or Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Wash and scrub beets to remove any dirt, but leave skin and about an inch of the stems on (if you purchased with stems on). Put beets on a small pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 55-65 minutes.

Remove beets from oven and allow the cool. Once cooled, use a dull knife or the side of a spoon to scrape off the skins, and cut off the stems. Using the largest holes on a grater, grate the beets into a bowl (your hands will get VERY pink). If you have a food processor with a shredding option, use that.

To make the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a cup or small bow, mixing with a fork.

Add a little of the vinaigrette on top on the shredded beets and toss to distribute evenly, taste, and then add until you get desired flavor.

Smacznego!