I used to go to the Anyway Cafe in the East Village.  I liked to order shots of honey ginger infused vodka, wild mushroom pelmeni and their amazing beet salad.  We are all familiar with the standard restaurant beet salad…roasted beets, goat cheese, some sort of toasted nut or another.  I often make variations on that salad for my packed lunches.  The beet salad at Anyway Cafe was not of that variety.  This salad was spicy…seriously spicy.  The secret ingredient was horseradish and it went very well with shots of vodka.  Sadly, the last time I went to Anyway Cafe they had traded in their horseradish for the standard goat cheese and pecans.

A while back, I saw a recipe for horseradish beet salad on the truly excellent food blog Lottie and Doof and I tried it out.  The recipe at Lottie and Doof is crazy delicious, but it was not as spicy as the one from Anyway Cafe.  I tried it again with fresh horseradish instead of prepared and I very pleased with the results!

SPICY BEET SALAD WITH HORSERADISH

adapted from Lottie and Doof and  inspired by the Anyway Cafe

• 1 pound red beets, stemmed, scrubbed and dried
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar)
• 1 or 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3-6Tablespoons fresh grated horseradish
• minced fresh chives
• minced fresh dill

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets in a small baking dish and toss them with the oil, salt and pepper. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until the beets are tender and easily pierced with a knife.  When the beets have cooled, slip them out of their skins and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

Whisk together the raspberry vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper and olive oil and toss the dressing with the beets in a medium bowl. Add grated horseradish to the salad one tablespoon at a time until it is spicy enough for you. Top with dill and chives and serve.

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