Deliciously crispy Hasselback beetroot served with lime leaf butter, lime leaf salsa, and yoghurt cream. A flavorful and visually stunning side dish.
Hasselback Beetroot with Lime Leaf Butter
These recipes have not been tested yet, but look promising.
This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi, a renowned chef known for his innovative vegetable dishes. This Hasselback beetroot with lime leaf butter is a perfect example of his creativity in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 8-10 medium-large beetroots (that’s about 2 bunches), skin on (1.2kg) or 8-10 ready-cooked beetroots (1kg)
- Flaked sea salt
For the lime leaf butter: * 90g unsalted butter * 40ml olive oil * 5 fresh makrut lime leaves, chopped * 10g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped * 1 garlic clove, crushed * 1 tbsp lime juice, plus 2 tsp to serve
For the lime leaf salsa: * 10 fresh makrut lime leaves, stalks removed and very finely chopped * ½ tsp fresh ginger, peeled and very finely chopped * ½ garlic clove, crushed * ½ green chilli, very finely chopped (deseeded for less heat) * 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped * 3 tbsp olive oil
For the yoghurt cream: * 80ml double cream * 90g Greek-style yoghurt
Directions
- Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/ 425F/gas 7. Place the beets in a baking dish in a single layer. Fill with water to 2cm up the sides, sprinkle on one tablespoon of salt, cover tightly with foil and bake for one hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife goes through easily. Discard water and, when cool enough, peel off the skin under cold running water (wear gloves to avoid staining). Halve larger beetroots lengthways. Reduce oven temperature to 190C.
- While the beetroots are cooking, put the butter, oil, lime leaves, ginger and garlic into a small pan on a medium-high heat. Gently cook until the butter begins to bubble, about four minutes, then set aside to infuse for at least 40 minutes. Discard the aromatics, then stir in one tablespoon of lime juice and one teaspoon of flaked salt.
- For the salsa, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of flaked salt, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whip the cream, yoghurt and a pinch of flaked salt until light and fluffy, with medium-stiff peaks, about three minutes. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cut slits in the peeled beetroots at 4mm intervals, stopping about 1cm from the bottom. Place on a small parchment-lined baking tray and fan the slices out. Spoon the melted butter evenly over, especially between the slices. Roast for one and a quarter hours, basting very well every 20 minutes or so, until the edges are crisp and caramelised. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Spread the yoghurt cream on a platter, then arrange the beets on top, spooning the butter over. Drizzle over the salsa, finish with remaining lime juice and serve at once.
- Preparing vegetables hasselback involves slicing them thinly, but not all the way down, so the slices remain held together at the base, like a fan: they not only look great but have deliciously crispy edges all over.
- To offset the extra work, start with shop-bought ready-cooked beetroots (plain, not in vinegar). If you do end up using raw beets, try to get bunches and use the stems and leaves to make our tempura stems, leaves and herbs.