Greek Tzatziki Recipe with Beets ? A Different Idea for Using Beets

A lot of cooking for me is trying some thing that you don’t traditionally think would go together.  Such is the case here, when I opened up the fridge and found 5-6 lonely but beautiful golden beets and thanks to another great idea from Ana Sortun (chef at Oleana and author of the cookbook Spice) this dish happened.

If you’re not familiar with what Tzatziki is, it’s basically a Greek yogurt-based side dish that’s usually paired with grilled meat like lamb or chicken.  It’s typically got cucumbers in it, but the base is really simple (and really good too!) including lemon, a little garlic and that great, thick Greek yogurt.  I added some fresh thyme as well, and this worked out well I think you’ll agree.  You can also use this dish as a topper to something like falafel or gyros or Shawarma.

Maybe the best part about this is it’s really simple to make – besides the time it took to roast the beets, we’re talking around 5-10 minutes tops.  I’ve used golden beets here, and I recommend you do the same (or candy beets will work too), but the subtle flavor of the golden beets worked really well.  If you like beets (or even if you don’t and just want to try something new) give this one a shot!

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Wash and trim up the beets and arrange them in a shallow oven-safe roasting pan or skillet (I used a small fry pan).  Top the beets with the vegetable oil and some salt and pepper, mix to combine.  Add a few Tbsp of water to the bottom of the pan and cover with two layers of tin foil (fairly tightly).  Add the beets to the oven and roast them for around an hour or until they’re very tender when poked with a knife.

Next make the Tzatziki – First take the diced garlic and add it to a small bowl with the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt.  Let these ingredients sit and marinate together for 10-15 minutes in order to mellow out some of the bite on the garlic.  Next add the yogurt and whisk together with some pepper.  Finally add the thyme and whisk in the olive oil before finishing with a little more salt and perhaps a little more lemon depending on your tastes.

Once the beets are finished, remove them from the oven and rub their skins off or peel them with a paring knife.  Take out a box grater and grate all of the beets down on the large holes of the grater.  Add the grated beets to the yogurt mixture and stir gently to combine, taking care not to break up the beets too much.  Serve on top of grilled meat or alone as a side dish.  Enjoy!