Beetroot patties with horseradish cream

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz beetroot (beet)
• 1 shallot
• 50g/⅓ cup sesame seeds
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2–3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the horseradish cream

• 200g/1 cup Greek yoghurt
• 200g/ ¾ cup full-fat crème fraiche
• 30g/1oz fresh, peeled horseradish
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

Method

A real classic, beetroot patties are some of the first vegetarian dishes I remember as a child in the 1970s. Vegetable patties are cheap and delicious at the same time. I don’t really like the term “vegetarian food”, because why should food be renamed just because there is no meat involved? All across the globe different cultures serve meals from just grains and vegetables and they do not call them anything special; for them it is simply food.

Peel and grate the beetroot (beet) and peel and finely grate the shallot. In a bowl, mix the grated beetroot and shallot with the sesame seeds and eggs, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and place spoonfuls of the patty mixture in the pan and cook, without squeezing them so the texture stays quite loose, until golden on both sides. If the mixture seems too loose and irritating to handle, you can add 2 Tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour to the mixture. Transfer the patties to an ovenproof dish and finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes.

While they are in the oven, make the horseradish cream. Mix the yogurt and crème fraîche together, then grate in the horseradish and mix. Add the sugar and lime juice, season with salt and pepper and serve with the patties.

Cooking tip

These patties can be made with any kind of root vegetable.

Scandinavian Comfort Food by Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille £25) Photography: Columbus Leth

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