Beet Salad with Skordalia (Pantzarosalata)
Sweet, earthy boiled beets dressed simply in vinegar and olive oil, served next to skordalia, a silky garlic-potato dip that packs a real punch. A classic Greek taverna meze that's just as good on a home table.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil the beets
Wash the beets well but leave the skins on and the roots attached — peeling before cooking makes them bleed color and lose sweetness. Put them in a large pot, cover generously with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer.
- 1 kg beets
✅ Done when: a knife slides into the center with no resistance, usually 45–60 minutes depending on size
Cook the greens
While the beets simmer, cook the reserved beet greens and stems in a separate small pot of boiling salted water. Drain well, let cool slightly, then chop roughly.
- 100 g beet greens and stems
✅ Done when: the greens are fully wilted and tender, not tough
Peel and dress the beets
Once the beets are cool enough to handle, hold them under running water and the skins will slip off easily with your hands or a paper towel. Slice or cube the beets, then toss them warm with the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and the chopped greens, so they soak up the dressing as they cool.
- 1 kg beets, peeled (from step 1)
- 100 g cooked beet greens (from step 2)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the beets are evenly coated and glossy, with no dry patches
Boil the potatoes
Put the potato chunks in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer until completely tender. Before draining, scoop out and keep a little of the cooking water — it is useful for loosening the later.
- 500 g potatoes
✅ Done when: a fork goes through the potatoes with no resistance
Crush the garlic
Crush the garlic cloves with the coarse salt in a mortar, or mince very finely and press with the flat of a knife, until you get a smooth paste. The salt helps break the garlic down and tames its raw bite.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
✅ Done when: the garlic is a smooth, almost creamy paste with no chunks
Whip the skordalia
Mash the potatoes while they are still warm, since hot potatoes mash much more smoothly than cold ones. Beat in the garlic paste, then add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, alternating with the vinegar and a splash of the reserved potato water, until you have a smooth, creamy dip thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2–3 tbsp potato cooking water
✅ Done when: the skordalia is pale, smooth and spoonable, with a strong but balanced garlic flavor
Serve together
Arrange the dressed beets on one side of a platter and the alongside or spooned on top. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and scatter the walnuts over everything just before serving.
- to serve extra virgin olive oil
- 30 g toasted walnuts
Boil the beets
Wash the beets well but leave the skins on and the roots attached — peeling before cooking makes them bleed color and lose sweetness. Put them in a large pot, cover generously with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer.
- 1 kg beets
✅ Done when: a knife slides into the center with no resistance, usually 45–60 minutes depending on size
Cook the greens
While the beets simmer, cook the reserved beet greens and stems in a separate small pot of boiling salted water. Drain well, let cool slightly, then chop roughly.
- 100 g beet greens and stems
✅ Done when: the greens are fully wilted and tender, not tough
Peel and dress the beets
Once the beets are cool enough to handle, hold them under running water and the skins will slip off easily with your hands or a paper towel. Slice or cube the beets, then toss them warm with the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and the chopped greens, so they soak up the dressing as they cool.
- 1 kg beets, peeled (from step 1)
- 100 g cooked beet greens (from step 2)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the beets are evenly coated and glossy, with no dry patches
Boil the potatoes
Put the potato chunks in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer until completely tender. Before draining, scoop out and keep a little of the cooking water — it is useful for loosening the later.
- 500 g potatoes
✅ Done when: a fork goes through the potatoes with no resistance
Crush the garlic
Crush the garlic cloves with the coarse salt in a mortar, or mince very finely and press with the flat of a knife, until you get a smooth paste. The salt helps break the garlic down and tames its raw bite.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
✅ Done when: the garlic is a smooth, almost creamy paste with no chunks
Whip the skordalia
Mash the potatoes while they are still warm, since hot potatoes mash much more smoothly than cold ones. Beat in the garlic paste, then add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, alternating with the vinegar and a splash of the reserved potato water, until you have a smooth, creamy dip thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2–3 tbsp potato cooking water
✅ Done when: the skordalia is pale, smooth and spoonable, with a strong but balanced garlic flavor
Serve together
Arrange the dressed beets on one side of a platter and the alongside or spooned on top. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and scatter the walnuts over everything just before serving.
- to serve extra virgin olive oil
- 30 g toasted walnuts
The Story Behind the Dish
Beets have been eaten in Greece since antiquity, and skordalia, the pungent garlic sauce, has old roots too; its name comes from skórdo, the Greek word for garlic. Pairing cooked beets with a garlicky dip became a natural combination, since the sweetness of the beet balances the sharp bite of raw garlic.
The dish is a staple of Greek meze tables and Lenten cooking, since skordalia traditionally contains no eggs or dairy, making it suitable for fasting days as well as everyday meals.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for the contrast: earthy, sweet beets next to a sharp, creamy garlic dip, finished with good olive oil and a few walnuts for crunch.
💡 Fun Fact
Cooks traditionally never discard the beet greens — they are boiled and dressed right alongside the roots, so nothing from the vegetable goes to waste.
Throughout Greece
37.98°N, 23.73°E
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