Pickled Beets

Pickled beets © kvalifood.com

Pickled beets are a classic Danish preserve — cooked beets sliced and packed in a sweet-sour vinegar with cloves and horseradish. They are best after a couple of days of steeping and keep for weeks. A staple accompaniment to open-faced sandwiches, meatballs, and liver pâté.

Ingredients

Yields 1 jar

  • 1 kg beets
  • 750 ml vinegar
  • 150–250 g sugar, to taste
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1–2 slices horseradish
  • ½ tsp preserving liquid

Directions

Cook the beets

Wash the beets thoroughly, but do not cut off the root. Cook them in lightly salted water for 45–60 minutes until tender. Drain and run cold water over them for 5 minutes. Peel off the skins.

Pickle

Slice the beets. Pack them into clean jars. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and spices to a boil. Remove from heat and add the preserving liquid. Pour the hot vinegar over the beets immediately. Seal the jars right away.

Serving

Best after a couple of days of steeping. Serve as a side dish.

Notes

  • Choose uniform beets of roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
  • Do not cut off the root before cooking — the beets will bleed and lose their color.
  • The amount of sugar can be varied to taste: 150 g gives tart beets, 250 g gives sweeter beets.
  • Cooked beets can also be frozen in slices — they keep for up to 10 months.
  • Small cooked beets can be served whole as a starter with whipped butter.