Swedish Beetroot And Apple Salad Recipe AKA Rödbetsallad

 

This is a really simple recipe for Swedish Beetroot Salad that combines crispy apple and a delicious creamy sauce to create a colorful salad that the whole family will enjoy! It’s most often served as a Swedish Christmas dish, as part of a Swedish Christmas buffet table called Jul Bord. But it is such a versatile beet salad that I find it a great choice as a side dish to many meals.  
It’s also commonly served with Swedish Meatballs on rye bread for a classic Swedish Meatball Sandwich.

Beetroot Is one of my favorite root vegetables, full of flavor and nutrition. One of the traditional crops grown here in Sweden, it's also environmentally and budget-friendly!

The first time I tried Swedish beetroot salad, or Rödbetsallad as its called in Swedish, I bought a ready made packet in the store. I wasn't entirely impressed to be honest, and found it to be more sauce than beets. Since then I always make my own! 

This is a really basic Swedish recipe that can be easily adapted to suit all taste everyones taste buds. Check out some variations below and let me know your favourite in the comments below!

SWEDISH BEETROOT SALAD INGREDIENTS

500g / =.5lb beetroot – alternatively jar or precooked beets 

2 Crispy apples –  Granny Smith apples are ideal as they are a little tart but any apples that you have on hand will add some sweetness. 

crème fraIIIche – or for en even lighter sauce you can use greek yogurt. 

1 tbs Dijon mustard – you can also use wholegrain mustard.

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt 

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper 

METHOD

1. Scrub the beetroot clean under running water and remove the top and tails.

2. Boil the beets in lightly salted water until they have softened. You can test this using a fork to pierce the beet. Drain and leave aside to cool.

Don't worry if the beetroot stains your cutting board. I find the best way to remove stains is by sprinkling some baking soda or salt con the board and leaving it work for half an hour before scrubbing with washing liquid. 

3. Peel and finely chop the apple, discarding the core.

4. In a Small bowl, combine the crème fraiche, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper.

4. When the beetroot has cooled enough to handle, carefully peel and finely dice. 

5. Combine the diced beetroot, apple and creamy sauce together in a large bowl and serve!  

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

A Swedish Jul Bord nearly always includes beetroot sallad and Brown Beans as side dishes to various meats that are served. Pickled herring and smoke salmon are also often present on the table as well as boiled potatoes and a fresh sallad.

Our favorite way to eat beetroot sallad is together with Swedish meatballs and we often bring the  ingredients for meatball sandwiches,  a quick and filling picnic food!

STORAGE

Kept in the refrigerator, this salad keeps well for up to about 5 days. The flavours will marinate beautifully and you can have fun finding new ways to use up any left overs. 

VARIATIONS

Very simply seasoned using salt and a little black pepper, but having lived here for 18 years, I’ve learnt that every Swedish family makes their beetroot sallad slightly  differently. Swedish cuisine is wonderfully flexible in that way!
Here are a few examples of easy variations to this recipe.

I prefer a light dressing using crème fraiche or sour cream but many traditional beet salad recipes contain mayonnaise. You can experiment with swapping out some of the crème fraiche with mayonaise. Why not make your own using egg yolk,  rapeseed oil and a splash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar?

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If you’re not a huge fan of beets, you can incorporate other root vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips or boiled and diced potatoes.

Some recipes call for using pickled beet root, but I find that the flavor can be a little overpowering, even with a creamy sauce. Adding some finely diced pickles or pickled red onion is a common way to add that salty, tangy flavor without loosing the flavor of the red beets. 

Red beet is easy to get hold of, but you can also try using yellow or polka beets for variation.

​Its no secret that feta cheese and beetroot pair beautfifully and one of my favorite combinations combines feta cheese and heavy cream to make a salty, creamy sauce that is really delicious!

​Swedes LOVE dill! And for good reason! It’s an amazing herb that really adds life to any sauce or dish! A tablespoon of fresh dill added to the sauce in this recipe makes ir really verstile and a great compliment to fish or prawns. 

Horseradish adds an extra dimension and a little heat!

If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love it if you would give it 5 stars and let me know in the comments below!