Name: Pan-Seared Beets with Horseradish Cream
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1½ pounds cooked and peeled beets , sliced ½ inch thick and patted dry; ¾ teaspoon pepper , divided; ½ teaspoon table salt , divided; ½ cup sour cream; 1½ tablespoons prepared horseradish; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil , divided; 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves , divided; 1 garlic clove , minced; 2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to know if we could put precooked, vacuum-packed beets to work for us to make a truly delicious, fast, and easy side dish. Skipping the long cooking and messy prep of using raw beets was convenient and invigorating, but the reality of the fully cooked product straight from the package was slightly deflating, since the packaged beets were a bit bland, wet, and one-dimensional. Slicing them, patting them dry, pan-searing them (leaving them in a hot oiled skillet without stirring for 5 to 7 minutes at a time), and glazing them with a mix of balsamic, garlic, and thyme absolutely transformed the beets. A dead-simple stir-together sauce of sour cream, horseradish, and a bit of salt and pepper provided the beets with a luscious, tangy, creamy counterpart (a welcome alternative to the ever-present goat cheese). A garnish of pantry-friendly everything bagel seasoning finished our weeknight beets with crunchy pops of salt, onion, and garlic.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe using three 8-ounce packages of vacuum-packed cooked beets. You can typically find these in the refrigerated produce section of your supermarket. Canned whole beets can also be used, though they will be wetter, softer, and more fragile; three 15-ounce cans will yield slightly more than 1½ pounds of drained beets. If you use canned beets, omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt added to the beets in step 1.

Instructions

Toss beets, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in bowl. Whisk sour cream, horseradish, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt together in second bowl; set aside. Combine 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, 1 tablespoon thyme, and garlic in small bowl; set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Transfer seasoned beets to skillet and spread into even layer (some beets will overlap). Cook beets, without stirring, until deeply browned and charred in spots on first side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip beets and spread into even layer. Continue to cook, flipping and stirring beets occasionally, until beets are deeply browned all over and charred in spots, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Stir in vinegar mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Transfer beets to serving platter and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme. Dollop with horseradish cream and serve.