Quick-Pickled Beets with Horseradish and Dill
Boiled beets cooled in a sharp vinegar brine, piled onto a horseradish cream that cuts right back through the sweetness.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Written
Method
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Boil the beets in generously salted water until a knife slides in with no resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.
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Drain and cool until easy to handle, then slip the skins off under running water.
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Cut the beets into wedges and pack them into a large jar or container with the dill sprigs.
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Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
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Pour the hot brine over the beets, filling to the top, and let cool uncovered on the counter.
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Seal and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or up to two weeks, before eating.
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Stir the horseradish into the sour cream and spread it over a plate before piling the beets on top; finish with flaky salt and dill.
Notes
The brine ratio here is what matters — equal parts vinegar and water keeps the pickle sharp without turning the beets into candy. Taste it before pouring and add more salt if it tastes flat. Golden beets work exactly the same way and won’t bleed pink into everything else on the plate.
These keep for two weeks in the fridge and get better after the second day, so make them well ahead of when you need them. Leftover brine is good for a full second batch of beets, or a shot of it stirred into a Bloody Mary.