Balkan Beetroot Apple Walnut Salad with Horseradish Yogurt 🥗✨

Description

Balkan Beetroot Apple Walnut Salad with Horseradish Yogurt is a bright, creamy-crunchy salad with sweet roasted beets, crisp apple, toasted walnuts, fresh herbs, and a sharp yogurt horseradish dressing. It feels rustic, colorful, and fresh, with enough depth to serve beside grilled food, pies, fasting dishes, or a simple piece of good bread.
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Hook ✨
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Sweet beets, crisp apple, toasted walnuts, and cool horseradish yogurt make this Balkan salad bold, fresh, creamy, and full of contrast. 🍎

Ingredients

• Roasted beets 🥗
• 🟣 650 g beets, scrubbed (4 medium / 1.43 lb)
• 🫒 15 ml olive oil (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine sea salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• ‌
• Salad base 🍎
• 🍎 220 g crisp apple, thinly sliced (1 large / 7.8 oz)
• 🧅 60 g red onion, very thinly sliced (½ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🌰 80 g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped (¾ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🌿 20 g fresh parsley or dill, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.7 oz)
• 🍋 15 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• ‌
• Horseradish yogurt dressing 🥛
• 🥛 220 g Greek yogurt or thick plain yogurt (1 cup / 7.8 oz)
• 🌶️ 20 g prepared horseradish, or to taste (1 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🍯 10 g honey (1½ tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🍋 15 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🫒 20 ml olive oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🧂 3 g fine sea salt (½ tsp / 0.1 oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper (½ tsp / 0.03 oz)
• ‌
• Finish ✨
• 🌿 10 g fresh herbs, extra for topping (¼ cup loose / 0.35 oz)
• 🌰 20 g toasted walnuts, extra for topping (2 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🫒 10 ml olive oil for finishing (2 tsp / 0.3 fl oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Roast the beets 🟣
2. ‌
3. Heat the oven to 200°C (392°F). Rub the beets with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Wrap them in foil and roast for 50 min, until a knife slides in easily.
4. ‌
5. 2️⃣ Cool and peel ❄️
6. ‌
7. Let the beets cool for 15 min, then peel them and cut into wedges or thick slices. Keep the pieces rustic, not too thin.
8. ‌
9. 3️⃣ Toast the walnuts 🌰
10. ‌
11. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 min, stirring often, until fragrant. Let them cool before chopping.
12. ‌
13. 4️⃣ Make the dressing 🥛
14. ‌
15. Mix yogurt, horseradish, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Taste and add a little more horseradish if you want a sharper finish.
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17. 5️⃣ Prepare the apple 🍎
18. ‌
19. Slice the apple thinly and toss it with lemon juice right away so it stays bright and crisp.
20. ‌
21. 6️⃣ Assemble the salad 🥗
22. ‌
23. Arrange roasted beets, apple slices, red onion, walnuts, and herbs on a platter. Spoon the horseradish yogurt over the top in ribbons, not as one heavy layer.
24. ‌
25. 7️⃣ Finish and serve ✨
26. ‌
27. Add extra herbs, toasted walnuts, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Rest for 5 min before serving so the flavors settle while the apple stays crisp.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 54 min
🛋 Rest: 20 min
⏰ Total: 1 h 29 min

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