Jamie Oliver's Smoked Beets Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Fall

by: Genius Recipes

September29,2011

4

4 Ratings

  • Serves 4 as a side dish

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

A genius recipe adapted from Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life (Hyperion, 2008) by Jamie Oliver.

You can stop at the smoked beets portion -- keep them in the fridge and slice them up for salads or burgers all week long. But we recommend you proceed to the second part of the recipe: a dressing that could make a cottage cheese lover out of anyone. —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • For the smoked beets
  • 8 small beets, with greens if possible
  • 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
  • For the salad
  • 1 tablespoonred wine vinegar
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 small bunch fresh tarragon or basil, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 4 heaped tablespoons cottage cheese
  • juice and zest from 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste
  • A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Directions
  1. First, light your charcoal barbecue or fire. Wash the beets and snip off the greens, reserving them. Fold a large piece of foil -- about 12-18" (24-36" unfolded), depending on the size of your beets -- in half to form a double layer. Lay the greens, then the beets, then the rosemary on top of the foil. (Note: if you don't have greens with your beets -- or want to save them to cook separately -- that's okay, just make sure the coals are at medium heat, not flaming, when you add your packet of beets.)
  2. Roll up the foil, folding in the edges and twisting the ends together. Stab the foil a few times all over with a knife to allow the smoke to get inside and flavor the beets. Lift the rack of your barbecue with tongs and carefully insert your foil package among the coals, making sure you place some coals on top too.
  3. Leave it to cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the beets are tender, then remove the package and allow it to cool down. Unwrap it and remove the beets, discarding the greens and rosemary sprigs.
  4. Once cooled slightly, peel the beets and discard the charred skin. The skins should slip right off, but if they don't, gently scrape them away with the back of a paring knife. Cut the beets into irregular chunks and place in a bowl. Add the vinegar, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plenty of salt and pepper and half the parsley and tarragon. Toss, have a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  5. Put the cottage cheese into a bowl and add the juice and finely grated zest from half your lemon. Stir in 2 glugs of extra virgin olive oil, the thyme leaves and some salt and pepper and gently fold it all together, so the oil and lemon marble through the cottage cheese. Taste the dressing and squeeze in a bit more lemon juice if you like.
  6. To serve, divide the dressed beets between four salad plates. Top each plate with a spoonful of cottage cheese dressing. Scatter over the remaining herbs and enjoy!

Tags:

  • American
  • Tarragon
  • Vegetable
  • Vinegar
  • Beet
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Winter
  • Fall
  • Vegetarian
  • Side

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

Popular on Food52

5 Reviews

Fraggle January 24, 2021

So fresh and light tasting! The lemon really brings the cottage cheese to another level!
I had leftover beets from the instant pot so I didn’t smoke them. The mix of herbs were delicious! Even my husband gobbled this one up!

Selma |. January 31, 2014

I love the idea of smoky beets but lacking a garden/patio/balcony and thus a barbecue, I shall have to try roasting instead. The cottage cheese topping is inspired. And Merrill's tip for zesting the lemon is genius. Can't wait to try it out!

Regine October 18, 2011

Very nice. But hey I am a miss shortcut so I replaced the smoked beets with 2 cans of sliced beets which I rinsed, patted dry and chopped into irregular pieces. So for those of you who want to continue to enjoy the nice dressing but in a quick fast food type of way, use 2 cans of beets. Also you don't need to buy all these herbs. Next time I may try to just use thyme which I love and parsley and/or cilantro. I could easily do without the tarragon! I will make this again soon. Tastes really good with grilled and/or jerk chicken.

The F. October 7, 2011

This, with the macaroni cheese, sound like a dream team.

LoisonMaui October 3, 2011

I'm shocked at not finding a host of great comments re: this beet recipe. We made this recipe just as instructed but used banana leaves because we couldn't find fresh beets with the greens left on - here on Maui. The beets were awesome. You can make ahead. It was creative to plan to put the cottage cheese drizzle on top as that way they don't turn RED. We've decided this is a must when serving guests.

Jamie Oliver's Smoked Beets Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How to cook beets in Jamie Oliver? ›

Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Scrub the beetroots really well, then chop into wedges and place in a roasting tray.
  3. Add the vinegar, thyme and 4 tablespoons of water, then toss to coat (you may want to wear gloves!).
  4. Cover with tin foil and roast for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.

What makes beets taste better? ›

Slow-roasting beets in a foil packet or covered baking dish takes away much of the earthy taste and intensifies the flavor, but you will still have a bit of bleeding and nutrient loss. Grilling beets over wood or charcoal will add a layer of smokiness.

Why add vinegar to beets? ›

When it comes to roasting beets, adding a splash of vinegar kind of lightly pickles them while they cook, which curbs their sweetness and seasons them from the inside out. I like white distilled vinegar for this, but the other noted types will do. Ingredients: 1 bunch Beets.

Why not peel beets before roasting? ›

No need to peel before or after baking. The skin, which is perfectly edible, just seems to disappear during the baking process. The trick to pan-roasted beets is to drop the temperature a bit. I always roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and pretty much all the other veggies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is the best cooking method for beets? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

How do you add flavor to cooked beets? ›

The roasted beets are wonderful on their own, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, or dressed up more with citrus juice, herbs, or balsamic vinegar. Serve them with any weeknight dinner, or add them to a holiday meal. These oven roasted beets keep well for days in the fridge, so they're great for making ahead.

What is the healthiest way to prepare beets? ›

Roast Them

Roasting is an overall healthy cooking method with minimal vitamin loss, particularly vitamin C. Roasted beets are rich and sweet with slight mineral flavors. Remember to avoid long cooking times and high temperatures, as these can reduce nutrients. Try using smaller bulbs if you want to prepare them faster.

How do you take the bitterness out of beets? ›

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

Can dogs eat beets? ›

Beets are packed with nutrients. But as healthy as they are for humans, are beets safe for dogs? Yes, they are, when served fresh and in moderation. Beets are found in some commercial dog foods.

Do beets taste better roasted or boiled? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole. Incidentally, to get beet stains off your hands, wet them, rub them with coarse salt, then wash with soap.

Can you eat beets raw? ›

You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached, if possible. Because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it's best to avoid boiling beets if you'd like to maximize their nitrate content.

Is it better to boil or roast beets? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole. Incidentally, to get beet stains off your hands, wet them, rub them with coarse salt, then wash with soap.

Do you peel beets before boiling? ›

Don't remove the beet skin before cooking.

It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

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