Beet Salad with Garlic and Walnuts (No Mayo)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients. Ahead of time, boil a large beet in salted water for about 25 to 30 minutes, then move it to cold water and let it sit for 30 minutes until fully cooled. Instead of one large beet you can use two small ones. You can also steam or roast the beet — just adjust the time to your steamer or oven.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the beet and rinse it. Cut it into pieces and grate each on the fine side of a box grater into a deep bowl. If you'd rather have a purée-like texture, use a food processor or blender.

3. Step 3:

   

   Lightly toast the walnuts in a skillet or in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Crush them by hand into the bowl with the grated beet. You can also put them in a bag, tie it off, and crush them into crumbs with a mallet.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the garlic cloves, rinse them, and press them into the bowl. In place of fresh garlic you can use garlic powder or garlic oil — the point is that garlic note. To make garlic oil, fry sliced garlic in a pan for a minute, cover it with oil, then turn off the heat and let it cool.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add salt and, if you like, ground black pepper. If you want fresh herbs in the salad, add them now — washed and chopped: dill, parsley, celery, cilantro. Pour in the oil; use cold-pressed olive oil if you have it, or unrefined sunflower oil, etc. Some people like to dress this with mayonnaise — you can try that too!

6. Step 6:

   

   Gently stir everything together and let it sit for 20 minutes so the flavors take on the garlic. It's best chilled, so refrigerate it and serve cold.

7. Step 7:

   

   Spoon the beet salad with garlic and walnuts onto plates or a platter, garnish with fresh herbs, and serve.