Salt-Crusted Beets with Horseradish Crème Fraîche

Name: Salt-Crusted Beets with Horseradish Crème Fraîche
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup crème fraîche (8 ounces); 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives; 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar; 2 cups coarse kosher salt; 5 tablespoons prepared horseradish; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel; 3 large unpeeled beets; trimmed; scrubbed

A sophisticated dish of oven-roasted beets encased in an aromatic salt crust flavored with horseradish, thyme, and orange zest, served with a tangy horseradish crème fraîche sauce.

6 servings

2 hr

Published October 4, 2025

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Ingredients

•1 cup crème fraîche (8 ounces)
•1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
•1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
•2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar
•2 cups coarse kosher salt
•5 tablespoons prepared horseradish
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
•1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
•3 large unpeeled beets
•trimmed
•scrubbed

Cooking Instructions

1.
Whisk crème fraîche, horseradish, chopped chives, and Sherry wine vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
5 min
2.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix coarse salt, horseradish, thyme, and orange peel in medium bowl. Place three 3-tablespoon mounds of salt mixture on small rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Top each salt mound with 1 beet, then cover all beets with remaining salt mixture, pressing very firmly with hands and forming crust around each beet, covering completely.
10 min
3.
Roast beets 1 3/4 hours. Remove from oven; crack salt crusts open and remove beets. Peel beets; cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange beet slices on platter. Serve with horseradish crème fraîche.
105 min