It took me sometime to get this recipe right. My mom and grandma were making it frequently (I love it!), but sadly I never really paid attention so when I moved out of the house – and to another continent – and one day craved my favorite beets I was at a loss.
Have you ever tried asking your mother for a recipe? If you ask mine she will tell you that firstly it is very simple, and secondly you’ll have it done in no time. The she’ll proceed with a recipe using phrases like “a little bit of this” and “a little bit of that” and her famous “just eyeball it” and at the end you have some sort of directions with not so reliable quantities. The only sure thing really are ingredients she used. I like to give a benefit of the doubt to people, especially my mother 😉 so during first try I follow her directions. Usually I end up with something that tastes nothing like what I eat when at home and I am lucky if it is actually tasty at all. This story never changes. And since I can’t observe her cooking and take notes myself the only thing left is to experiment with the recipe to get it right. So here it is – my recipe for beets the Polish way.
The beets work very well as a side dish for meats. We usually have them with cutlets (look here for the recipe) but they will be equally tasty with any other type of meat. I imagine it should be a good accompaniment to a veggie burger too. They a little bit on a sweet side and can be prepared in two versions – lighter and heavier. Just wanted to note that by saying “lighter” I don’t mind calories as much as the overall taste and feeling. I would pair them with chicken or maybe some fish in this version, whereas the more substantial one I would choose for a cutlet or a burger. However it is always a matter of opinion and preference so please try both and choose. Either way they’re very, very tasty.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium beetroots (3-4 inches diameter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
Instructions:
- Fill a medium pot with water, put rinsed beets in it and cook until tender, 1.5 to 2hrs (can be done day before then refrigerated).
- Peel the beets – you can easily remove the skin with your fingers – and grate them using big holes side of the box grater. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add sour cream, vinegar and sugar. Mix well. –> You can stop here for a lighter, more refreshing version. If you need something more substantial continue with following steps.
- Chop the onion.
- Heat up a skillet on medium, melt the butter and add the onion.
- Cook until tender and translucent, ~10 minutes.
- Add flour, stir and cook for ~1 minute.
- Scrape the skillet’s content into the bowl with beets. Mix well and enjoy!
Yield: 4 generous portions
Nutritional Info (per 1 portion prepared from full recipe): Cal 118, Prot 2g, Carb 15g, Fat 6g, Fiber 2g
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Can’t wait to try your recipe. Thank goodness it has more detail than “a little bit of this”!
Please let me know if you like it or not! 🙂