Okay, I know the words “beet tartare” don’t exactly make your mouth water. But hear me out. This dip/side dish/whatever-you-want-it-to-be is a cacophony of textures and flavor. Try this if you’re sick of the same old winter roasted vegetables. It’s so good I eat it by the spoonful.
- 1 pound baby beets, trimmed, scrubbed
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 2-ounce jar capers, drained
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled cherry peppers (or similar)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400F degrees. Wrap beets in a few layers of foil, place on rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Using paper towels, rub skins to remove and cut beets into 1/4-inch pieces.
- Heat garlic, capers, and oil in a small skillet over medium, adjusting heat as needed to keep oil at a simmer, until garlic is golden and capers have burst, about 8-12 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl. Turn garlic and capers out onto paper towels; set oil aside.
- Mix beets, shallot, cherry peppers, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and 2 teaspoons reserved oil in a medium bowl to combine. Cover and let sit 45 minutes to marinate.
- Just before serving, stir chopped parsley and half of fried garlic and capers into beet mixture. Scoop beet mixture onto a platter or bowl and top with remaining fried garlic and capers, and additional parsley.