Sweet butter-fried beetroot

I’ve been accused of having quite a few recipes that aren’t quick at all. Well, damn it, they aren’t. But remember, I always give the time from start to finish. From the moment you start preparing things to the moment you have a finished dish. Most importantly, just because something takes a while doesn’t mean you have to stand over the pots the whole time. This butter-fried beetroot is a case in point.

I like beetroot, though while preparing it you could easily pick up a second job as an extra in a horror film. I don’t know who said it, or even if anyone ever did, but when you’re grating beetroot you never know if that’s blood yet or still just beetroot juice. Blood’s definitely easier to wash off your hands, though.

At a glance:

Prep time: 55 minutes

Serves: 4 people

How many calories? Beetroot can’t have that many calories.

Ingredients for fried beetroot:

• 4 medium beetroots 
• 5 teaspoons of sugar
• three tablespoons of butter
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of ground black pepper

The recipe (mostly cooking, twice, and kneading):

I wash the beetroots, put them in water with their skins on and boil them for a good 40 minutes. You could probably do it in less, but mine were obstinate old things and refused to soften for love or money. When they soften (you don’t want them as soft as boiled potatoes, you should just about be able to get a fork into them), I take them off the heat, drain them and wait for them to cool.

When the beetroots are cold, I peel them and grate them on the medium holes of a grater. Then I melt the butter in a pot and add the beetroot. I do this over a low “flame” (on my induction hob that’s 3 on a scale of 1 to 10). I immediately add 5 teaspoons (not tablespoons, little teaspoons) of sugar and stir. I add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and fry the beetroot for about 5–8 minutes. Enjoy!

You could make life easier by buying ready-cooked beetroot (I’ve seen it in Lidl), but what’s the point? Pretty much anyone can boil beetroot.