Slow-roasted beetroots smoked over hay or applewood, served with horseradish sour cream, pickled mustard seeds and fresh dill.
⭐Inspired by Vladimir Mukhin · 🇷🇺 RussiaThis recipe is inspired by Chef Vladimir Mukhin's New Russian Cuisine movement and his work at White Rabbit and Krasota in Moscow. Mukhin's mission has been to recover pre-Soviet Russian cooking — the imperial-era recipes, indigenous Siberian techniques, and the great Russian traditions of fermentation, smoking and pickling that were largely lost during 70 years of cafeteria-style Soviet cooking. This dish channels his approach: a humble Russian root vegetable elevated through technique (smoke), classical accompaniment (sour cream, dill, horseradish) and modern presentation.
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Toss the beetroots with olive oil, salt and thyme. Wrap each tightly in foil. Roast 60-75 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Cool slightly, slip off the skins (gloves recommended).
Use mixed coloured beets — golden, candy stripe and red — for visual depth.
Simmer the mustard seeds with rice vinegar, honey, salt and 60ml water for 8 minutes until plump and slightly syrupy. Cool. They will keep refrigerated for weeks.
Mix sour cream with grated horseradish, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate while you smoke the beets.
Line a deep pan with foil, scatter applewood chips evenly, place a wire rack on top. Heat over high until the chips smoke. Add the peeled beetroots, cover tightly with foil, reduce heat to low. Smoke for 12-15 minutes until the beets are deeply aromatic and bronzed.
If you don't have a stovetop smoker, use a large heavy pot with a lid and follow the same principle.
Cut the smoked beetroots into wedges. Arrange artfully on cool plates. Spoon dollops of horseradish cream around (don't smother the beets). Scatter generously with pickled mustard seeds and toasted rye breadcrumbs. Top with abundant fresh dill. Finish with Maldon salt and a crack of black pepper. Serve at room temperature.
Mixed colour beets are visually striking — try to find golden and candy-stripe alongside red.
Don't peel the beets before smoking — peel them after roasting and before smoking.
Eat at room temperature — smoke flavour is more pronounced cool than hot.
Without Smoker: skip the smoke step — finish the roasted beets with a teaspoon of liquid smoke whisked into the oil.
Beet Carpaccio: thinly slice the cooled smoked beets with a mandoline; layer flat on plates.
Roasted/smoked beets keep 4 days refrigerated. Cream and pickled mustard seeds: 1 week.
Smoking and pickling are foundational Russian techniques, predating refrigeration by centuries. Beetroot, horseradish, dill and sour cream are the foundational flavour profile of pre-Soviet Russian cooking. Vladimir Mukhin's New Russian Cuisine movement has done more than any contemporary chef to recover and modernise these traditions for fine dining.
A movement that emerged among Moscow chefs in the 2010s to recover pre-Soviet Russian cooking — imperial-era recipes, regional ingredients, fermentation and smoking traditions that were largely lost during 70 years of standardised Soviet cafeteria cuisine. Vladimir Mukhin is its most internationally visible figure.
No — a heavy pot with a lid lined with foil works fine for the brief smoking time used here. Or skip the smoke step entirely and add a teaspoon of liquid smoke for a quick approximation.
A movement that emerged among Moscow chefs in the 2010s to recover pre-Soviet Russian cooking — imperial-era recipes, regional ingredients, fermentation and smoking traditions largely lost during 70 years of standardised Soviet cafeteria cuisine. Vladimir Mukhin is its most internationally visible figure.
This trinity is the foundational flavour profile of Russian and Eastern European cooking — earthy beetroot, fresh dill, cooling sour cream. It appears in borscht, in Polish chłodnik, in Ukrainian salads. The combination predates modern borders and represents one of the most recognisable regional flavour signatures in Eurasian cuisine.
No — a heavy pot lined with foil and a small handful of wood chips works fine for the brief smoking time used here. Or skip the smoke step and add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the olive oil for a quick approximation.
Per serving (280g / 9.9 oz) · 4 servings total
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