Since I haven’t gotten hate mail yet from Schnitzel purists. Here I go again.
Red beets are my schnitzel victims this time. And because I couldn’t just make any old crust, I decided to use almonds. The result is a nutty crunchy vegetarian schnitzel with the earthy taste of beet.
There are so many ways to serve this beet schnitzel. I was a bit lazy with this post by not offering a dipping sauce. Apologies.
However, now you can let your imagination and taste buds run wild in creating your own version. Whip up a lemon or garlic-tinged yogurt sauce. Make a sour cream curry sauce. So many options out there, especially opportunities to use up any herbs or sauces you have left over in your garden, pantry, or refrigerator.
This dish itself is just as versatile in serving it. Instead of serving this as a main dish, add the beet schnitzel to salads or serve as a side with a meat dish. You also have my permission to switch up the nut flavor. Use walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, or a mix of your favorite varieties.
Go Schnitzeling!
Red Beet Almond Schnitzel
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. fresh beets or 8 beets different sizes.
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable frying oil
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1+1/4 cup almond meal.
- 3/4 cup chopped raw almonds
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
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Trim the red beets, discard the greens or save for future use. Rinse the beets.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the 2 teaspoons of salt and the beets. Boil for 45 minutes or until you can easily run a fork through them.
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Drain the beets, let cool. Peel the beets, trim off the tops and bottoms and cut the beets into 1/2 inch thick rounds.
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Heat the oil in a skillet. Place a layer of paper towels by the stove.
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In three shallow bowls, place the flour in one, beat together the eggs in the second and whisk together the almond meal and chopped almonds in the third.
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When the oil is hot, dredge the beet slices in the flour, then dip into the beaten eggs and coat with the almond mixture.
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Place the coated beets in the hot oil and fry on each side for 2 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown.
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Remove from pan and place on the paper towels to drain.
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Pat dry, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.