Deep Fried Pickled Beets.. what?
Good day! Okay, so deep fried pickled beets came to me while I was eating a beet salad in Prague. I was really enjoying it and thought, “There must to be something different I can do with this” (It is also possible that I want to eat everything deep fried after eating deep fried Mars bars in Edinburgh). I was happy when my search on Pinterest for deep fried beets came up with basically zero results. I’ve thought of something unique! Yahoo!
Testing, testing
When we returned from Europe this spring, this was one of the first things I tried out for The Fancy Napkins. There was a lot of trial and error. Without the sriracha, the beet taste is a little overbearing, so I highly suggest the spicy mayo. If you’re not a huge fan of spice, maybe just cut it down to 1/2 TBSP of sriracha. I tried it a few times with the sriracha right on top of the cheese and then putting them in the freezer for a bit, but that was a lot more time consuming and frankly, not as tasty!
Get Started
The prep for these is pretty quick and easy, especially if you have everything handy and ready to go. I suggest breading the beets before you even turn the heat on for the oil so that you don’t have a pan with hot oil just sitting there for 20 minutes. I used a frying pan for these since we do not have a deep fryer, but by all means if you have one – go for it! As far as I know, putting breaded food in an Actifry doesn’t work so well, so steer clear there. If I’m wrong, let me know!
Keeping an Open Mind
I will admit, it wasn’t until recent years that I would even go near a pickled beet. Or a regular beet, for that matter. You would think the beautiful colour would have drawn me toward them not repel me. But alas. The point of me telling you this.. is that you should try these even if you’re not so sure you’ll like them. You might surprise yourself!
Bon Appetit!
These are pretty tasty to share as an appetizer or a snack.. or not share, that’s fine – I won’t judge. In all honesty though, I ate three and was pretty satisfied (When I say satisfied, that’s code for “You’re gonna be really full”). So this is the perfect appetizer cause you have a couple and you’re satisfied until you finally get to dig in to your dinner. Just saying.
Before you start diving into your deep fried pickled beets, be sure to check out The Fancy Napkins’ first blog post – a welcome of sorts! Plus, you are definitely going to want to sign up for The Fancy Napkins’ Newsletter so you don’t miss out on any recipes, cooking stories, tips or blog posts.
Happy cooking!
Deep Fried Pickled Beets and Goat's Cheese with Spicy Mayo
Ingredients
The Beets
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- about 12 pickled beets
- 4 oz goats cheese
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- canola oil for frying
The Dip
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
Instructions
- Mix breadcrumbs with salt in a small mixing bowl
- Beat egg in another small bowl
- Add flour to third and final small mixing bowl
- Grab a beet from the jar!
- Cut a piece of cheese about half a centimeter thick and spread it onto one side of the beet (If the cheese is cold, it is easy enough to just mold it onto the top half of the beet)
- Roll the cheesy beet around in flour to totally cover it
- Dip and totally cover in egg
- Dip and totally cover in breadcrumbs
- Set the breaded beets aside on a plate
- Add about a half inch of oil to your frying pan and turn on to medium-high heat. To check if the oil is ready for frying, sprinkle some flour into the oil - if it sizzles, your oil is ready
- Gently place the breadcrumbed beets into the oil.
- Using a slotted spoon, turn each beet over once the underside is crispy - only about 15 to 20 seconds
- After frying the opposite side, place the beets on paper towel to soak up some grease and let them cool a bit
- Meanwhile, stir the mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl
- Enjoy!
Love the tip for checking if your oil is ready, thanks!!!
No problem! Makes it a lot easier without a thermometer!
Made the deep fried beets last night, not a big fan of beets but I’m now a new convert. Absolutely loved this recipe.