Roasted Beets with Pistachio Dukkah
The beets of my childhood came in a can and tasted like dirt. So it wasn’t until I was in culinary school that I ate a fresh beet and came to understand just how delicious beets can be, especially in spring, when young beets emerge from the ground. These days, I shave raw beets into salad, puree steamed beets into hummus-like spreads, and roast the rest for salad-y side dishes like this one. Beets + salty cheese + crunchy things is a no-fail recipe for tasty beet dishes. Here, I mix up a dukkah, which is a Middle Eastern spice and nut blend that originated in ancient Egypt, to add crunch; I think the cumin seeds really work well with the flavor of the beets. Chunks of feta are always welcome on my plate, and the lemon-orange vinaigrette ties everything together.
Makes 4 servings
1 pound beets
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt as needed
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Dukkah:
1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 orange
2 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of kosher salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Trim any long tails off the beets, and place them on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Stab the beets a few times with a sharp knife. Drizzle olive oil on top of the beets, and toss them gently so they are coated with oil. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on top, and wrap up the foil package. Place the package on a rimmed sheet pan (to catch any drips) and roast for 45-60 minutes, checking the beets periodically to see if a sharp knife cuts through easily. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beets. Don’t worry if they take longer to finish cooking; just check them every 10 minutes.
While the beets are roasting, place the pistachios, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in another rimmed sheet pan or oven-safe skillet and place in the oven. Roast the nuts and seeds for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan every few minutes so they redistribute and cook evenly. Remove the nuts and seeds from the oven and let cool. Add the salt to the mixture, and crush with a mortar and pestle, or pulse just a couple of times in a spice grinder or blender (my spice grinder is an old coffee grinder I use just for spices). You want them to be crushed but not completely pulverized.
Also while the beets are cooking, make the vinaigrette: Combine the lemon juice, orange juice, honey, Dijon, salt and olive oil in a bowl or jar, and whisk or shake until combined.
Once the beets are cooked, remove them from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Unwrap the foil packet and rub the skins from the beets, over running water in your sink to avoid staining your hands/cutting board/entire self with beet juice. Cut the beets into 1-inch pieces or whatever size you like, and toss them with 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Sprinkle the dukkah on top, add the feta, drizzle a little bit more vinaigrette on top, then serve.