This is best made with summer beets, when they are still quite small and soft. The charring takes away moisture and brings out that sweet minerality that beets possess in spades. If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor pizza oven roast the beets in there; otherwise, a very hot oven will do. Adapted from a recipe by Israeli chef Eyal Shani, Gourmet Traveler.
| 8-10 sm | beetroot |
| grated horseradish, to serve | |
| 2 t | extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed canola oil |
| 30 gm | finely grated fresh horseradish mixed with 100 gm crème fraiche (or prepared horseradish if the other isn’t available) |
| salt to taste |
Preheat a wood-fired oven to high, or your home oven to 500ºF. Scrub the beets under cold running water. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment and roast until charred and they have lost about half their weight, about 1-1¼ hours). Remove and set aside to cool (1½-2 hours, depending on size). Thinly slice the beets with a sharp knife and spread over a plate, with the discs slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with salt to taste and grated horseradish, drizzle with olive oil and serve with a spoonful of horseradish crème fraîche. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6-8.