Feel the beet
Chef!
Vicki and Alan Mowat have been delivering a lot of beetroot in their Riverford veg boxes of late, and reckon this is a great way to use it… Riverford was born in Devon, back in the ’80s, when it began delivering organic veg to local homes. Now it delivers a variety of fruit, vegetable, meat and recipe boxes throughout the country. Vicki and Alan Mowat take care of Riverford’s deliveries in Bath and the surrounding area. Now that beetroot is back in season, it’s in plentiful supply and at its best. You’ll find it easy to get hold of from local growers and suppliers (if you’re not already getting it in a veg box delivery, that is!). This means that these little röstis can be easily added to your seasonal menu for autumn. They’re great for breakfast, brunch or lunch. If you have any leftover cooked beetroot you can use that, but you’ll find that when it’s raw it lends the röstis a nice bit of bite.
small bunch tarragon, roughly chopped small bunch parsley, roughly chopped 1 tbsp plain flour (or rice flour to make it gluten free) sunflower oil, for frying METHOD
BEETROOT, POTATO and HORSERADISH RÖSTIS (SERVES 4) INGREDIENTS
2 large potatoes 1 large beetroot, peeled 1 small red onion 5cm piece of horseradish, peeled (or 1 tsp grated horseradish from a jar) 1 large garlic clove small bunch dill, roughly chopped
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– Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. – Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the potatoes in the hot water for 15 minutes, so that they are half cooked. – Once cool, drain and peel the potatoes, then coarsely grate them, along with the beetroot and onion, into a large bowl. Finely grate the horseradish into the same bowl. Bash the garlic into a fine paste using a pestle and mortar, or crush in a garlic crusher, then add it to the bowl with the herbs. Season with
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salt and pepper, sprinkle over the flour and mix well. – Shape the veg mix into four burgersized patties. They should hold together well, but add a bit more flour if not. – Heat a good slug of oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the röstis until golden brown on each side (don’t be tempted to flip them more than once, or move them much). Transfer to a baking tray and finish cooking in the oven for 15 minutes, until crisp and cooked through. Serving ideas – Top with smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche and a handful of chopped green herbs. – Use the same mix to make mini patties and serve as fancy hash browns with a full English breakfast. – Top with wilted spinach or chard and a poached egg. ✱ riverford.co.uk/recipes