Patzarosalata, Greek Beetroot Salad
Patzarosalata is the beet salad that sits in the chilled case of every Greek taverna, plain-looking and reliably good. The whole plant goes to work: the roots for their sweetness, the leafy tops for their minerals and body, so nothing is wasted. Traditionally it is finished with olive oil, but the beets are sweet and earthy enough that garlic and sharp red wine vinegar carry it on their own, with toasted walnuts standing in for the richness. Boil the beets whole and in their skins to hold the color, and dress them warm so they soak up the vinegar. It keeps for three days and is a natural partner to a bean dish or a lentil soup.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Beets, with greens attached if possible
- 1 clove Garlic, grated
- 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, ground
Method
- Cut the greens off the beets and set them aside. Scrub the roots and boil them whole and unpeeled until a knife slides in easily, 35 to 45 minutes depending on size. Boiling them whole in their skins keeps the color and earthy sweetness inside the beet instead of bleeding into the water.
- In the last 3 minutes, drop the chopped beet greens and stems into the same pot to wilt. The greens are the better half of the plant and usually thrown out; here they double the dish for free.
- Drain, and when the beets are cool enough to handle, rub off the skins with a paper towel and cut into wedges. The skins slip off without a peeler once cooked, so there is no waste and no staining the cutting board with raw beet.
- Grate the garlic, whisk it with the red wine vinegar, and toss it through the warm beets and greens. Dressing beets while they are still warm lets them drink in the acid the way they would otherwise drink in salt.
- Fold in the parsley, dill, and toasted walnuts and grind over the pepper. Serve at room temperature. The walnuts add the fat and crunch that carry a dish made with no oil, and even ten minutes of resting deepens the flavor.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 120 calories, 4 g protein, 5 g fiber, 100 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
