Ingredients:
3 large cooked beets, cubed and cooled
1 large, tart apple, cubed
1 small white onion, diced

dressing:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons grated horseradish
salt
white pepper

Directions:
Place the beets, apple and onion in a medium bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over the beets. Stir to evenly distribute.

Note: To save time boil or roast the beets the day before and refrigerate the beets overnight.

My thoughts:

I love beet salads. I know some people are beet-phobic but I don’t know why! Beets are sweet but not overly so, they are good for you and they dye everything they touch pink. Win-win-win, in my book. I especially like beet salad and it seems like nearly every European cuisine I research has some version of a beet salad. You might remember the Polish beet salad I made this year for Thanksgiving.

While I was at Lucia Fest at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia last year, I had these beet salad and within the week, I recreated it at home. The secret ingredient is the horseradish. It is nose clearing and adds quite a kick to a salad that otherwise could be sweet. I’ve seen versions that call for mustard instead of horseradish (if you do that, spring for the good, Swedish stuff) but the version I had definitely had horseradish. The apple provide a welcome and some times unexpected (it is difficult to tell the beet from the apple under the dressing) crunch. The perfect light(ish) side dish for the holidays and a fixture on the julbord.

One fun note: I’ve seen pictures of this salad on open-faced leftover meatball sandwiches (köttbullar smörgås). Yum!