Raw Beet Salad

Raw beets taste brighter and less earthy than cooked ones, so this quick salad is a good place to start if you're on the fence about beets. It's ready in about 10 minutes.

Serves 4 · 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound beets
• 1 large shallot
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or another strong vinegar
• Chopped fresh parsley, dill, chervil, rosemary or tarragon

Instructions

1. Peel the beets and the shallot.
2. Pulse them together in a food processor fitted with the metal blade just until the beets are shredded. Stop before it turns into a purée. You can also grate the beets by hand and finely mince the shallot.
3. Transfer to a bowl and toss with salt, pepper, the mustard, olive oil and vinegar.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then fold in the herbs and serve.

Tips

• Beet juice stains, so do your peeling and shredding close to the sink.

Adapted from Mark Bittman, NYT Cooking.