Roast Beet Sandwiches + Horseradish Sour Cream

This is a funny little riff on a deli classic, the roast beef sandwich. In this version, I traded in the roast beef for beets to make it vegetarian-friendly, and I used smoked swiss cheese in place of plain swiss cheese to add a smoky note that plays nicely with the sweetness of the beets. Other than that, I didn't monkey around with any other elements. There is still plenty of horseradish sour cream, crisp lettuce, sliced tomato, and pickles on a kaiser roll.

This is the perfect weekend lunch, quick dinner, or perhaps even something to take on a little impromptu picnic. Once you've made the beets, it's just a matter of assembling the sandwich -- and what's easier than that? I served this cold like you'd find in a deli, but I'd be willing to bet that it would be a great hot sandwich as well. Just stack the hot beets on a buttered, toasted bun and melt the cheese under the broiler. Slather the top with horseradish sauce, and then it's all set.

Roast Beet Sandwich + Horseradish Sour Cream

(makes 4)

4 seeded kaiser rolls

4-8 slices of smoked swiss cheese

Roast Beets (recipe follows)

horseradish sauce (recipe follows)

2-3 cups butter lettuce

1 tomato (sliced)

1 cup dill pickle slices

sea salt and cracked black pepper

Place cheese on the bottom part of the toasted bun; this will keep the bread from turning pink from beet juice. Stack 5-6 beet slices (about 1 beet) on top of the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Follow that by stacking the lettuce, tomato, and dill pickle slices. Smear the top bun with horseradish sauce. You are now ready to enjoy your (very first?) roast beet sandwich.

Roast Beets:

5 medium red beets 

1/2 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic (smashed)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

8 sprigs thyme

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2  tablespoon olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Trim 1/8 inch from both the stem end and the root end of the beet. Place beets in a small casserole dish along with the wine, garlic cloves, soy sauce, thyme, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Allow beets to cool completely. Peel skin from the beet by rubbing it with a damp paper towel just as though you're polishing it -- the outer skin will rub right off. Slice beets in 1/4-inch slices. Discard cooking liquid or use it to make a colorful salad dressing.

Horseradish sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

1-2 teaspoons of freshly grated horseradish

small pinch of sea salt

cracked black pepper

Mix ingredients together and there you have it: an easy, spicy, from-scratch horseradish sauce.