In Polish cuisine, beets are commonly used for making soups, such as basic Polish vegetarian borscht, as well as for preparing salads. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods organization, consumption of beets can help increase protection against certain types of cancer, heart disease, and inflammation. The following Polish beetroot salad recipe is quick, easy to make and low-calorie. Simple and beautifully red, this beet salad ranks among the most popular traditional Polish dishes for Christmas. It is also one of the most healthy Polish vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Ingredients for Polish Beet Salad with Vinegar
Makes 4-6 servings as side dish
- 4-6 medium to large good quality beets
- 1 medium onion
- Vinegar for salads
- Salt
Instructions for Preparing Polish Beet Salad
- Wash beets and leave them unpeeled
- Place beets into a thick bottom pot and add tap water until beets are covered
- Boil beets until soften, usually between 20 and 30 minutes
- Stick a fork into beets and pull out, if fork leaves easily it means beets are cooked
- Scoop out beets, let them cool thoroughly, then peel off beets’ skin
- Grate beets into a mixing bowl, use grater with medium holes
- Set grated beets aside
- Cut onion into half and slice onion horizontally into thin strips
- Add onion to mixing bowl with beets
- Slowly add vinegar and salt, salad should have strong hint of vinegar and not be too salty
- Mix well and let salad rest in a cool place for a few minutes before serving
Foods That Go Well with Polish Beet Salad
This salad goes very well with other Polish winter dishes. It can accompany Polish baked stuffed cabbage leaves, golabki, or vegetarian and non-vegetarian pierogies, a dumpling-like food. Any kinds of meats, especially cold cuts, will also go with this beet salad.
How to Store Beet Salad
Because this beet salad is incredibly healthy and simple to prepare, it is sometimes made in large quantity and saved for consumption over a period of several weeks. To help beet salad stay good and fresh, use clean glass jars for storage.
Take a spoon and slowly transfer salad into a jar. After every few spoonfuls, use the back of spoon to press down hard on the salad. This step will help the salad to be as tightly packed as possible and thus prevent it from going bad quickly. Close lids tightly and keep jars refrigerated. Beet salads can last up to several weeks if packed and stored correctly.
After a holiday season filled with rich and heavy foods, a simple salad that requires less than five ingredients will give your system a refreshing break, not to mention all the disease-fighting health benefits you will get from these lovely, deep red roots.
