Why should the beets be boiled whole and unpeeled?

Because they "bleed out" if you cut, pierce, or peel them before boiling — the color and juice run out. Brush and wash them, and boil them whole; only peel (skin) them afterward.

How thick should the slices be, and why are they steeped in vinegar?

Cut them into slices about ½ cm thick. They are steeped in vinegar for a couple of minutes to give a stronger flavor, before being dredged in flour, salt, and pepper and fried in butter.

What is served over the beetroot steaks?

Nicely browned onion is laid over the beet slices. 100 g butter is used for the frying.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 380. It serves 4 and takes about 90 minutes in all, mostly boiling time for the beets.

Beetroot Steaks

Erken's beetroot steaks from 1914: 6 large beets boiled whole (unpeeled and unpierced so they don't "bleed out"), skinned, cut into ½ cm slices, briefly steeped in vinegar, dredged in flour, salt and pepper, fried in butter and served with nicely browned onion on top.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 380 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Beets were one of the most important winter root vegetables. On the same page, Erken points out that beets "bleed out" if you cut or pierce them before boiling, and that they are best if first given a quick boil and then finished in the oven.

How to make it

1
Clean the beets
Brush and wash the beets thoroughly, but do not cut into them, pierce them, or peel or scrape them — that makes them lose their juice and color.
2
Boil
Boil the beets tender in water, or give them a quick boil and finish them in the oven with a little water in the bottom of the dish. Skin them immediately.
3
Steep in vinegar
Cut the beets into slices about ½ cm thick and steep the slices in vinegar for a couple of minutes to give them a stronger flavor.
4
Dredge and fry
Dredge the slices in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper and fry them in butter on both sides.
5
Brown the onion
Brown the onion slices nicely in butter and lay them over the beet slices. Serve hot.

Changes from the original

Quantities given in modern units; vinegar, flour, salt, pepper, and onion have been quantified with reasonable amounts since the original does not state them. The spelling has been modernized in the steps.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 380)~77% of the text changedremovedadded

6 ~~stk~~ store ~~rødbeter. 1 dl~~ rødbeter eddik ~~(til å legge skivene i). 2 spiseskjeer hvetemel (til panering). 1 ts salt. 0,5 ts pepper. 2 stk~~ mel salt pepper løk ~~(i skiver, til bruning).~~ 100 g gr. smør. Børst og vask ~~rødbetene godt,~~ røtterne, men skjær ikke i dem, ~~stikk~~ stik ikke i dem og ~~skrell~~ skræl eller skrap dem ~~ikke –~~ ikke, ti da ~~mister~~ vil de ~~saften og fargen.. Kok rødbetene møre i vann, eller gi dem et oppkok og stek dem ferdige i ovnen med litt vann i bunnen av formen. Flå dem straks.. Skjær rødbetene~~ «forbløde» sig. Rødbeterne kokes, flaaes, skjæres i ~~skiver på omtrent~~ ½ ~~cm og legg skivene~~ cm. tykke skiver; disse lægges et par minutter i eddik for ~~å få kraftigere smak.. Vend skivene~~ at faa en sterkere smak, vendes derefter i en blanding av mel, salt og ~~pepper og stek dem i smør på begge sider.. Brun løkskivene pent~~ pepper; stekes i ~~smør og legg dem~~ smør. Pent brunet løk lægges over ~~rødbetskivene. Server varmt.~~ rødbetskiverne.

Note on Modernised

Mengder oppgitt i moderne enheter; eddik, mel, salt, pepper og løk er tallfestet med rimelige mengder da originalen ikke oppgir dem. Rettskrivingen er modernisert i trinnene.

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Frequently asked questions

Why should the beets be boiled whole and unpeeled?: Because they "bleed out" if you cut, pierce, or peel them before boiling — the color and juice run out. Brush and wash them, and boil them whole; only peel (skin) them afterward.
How thick should the slices be, and why are they steeped in vinegar?: Cut them into slices about ½ cm thick. They are steeped in vinegar for a couple of minutes to give a stronger flavor, before being dredged in flour, salt, and pepper and fried in butter.
What is served over the beetroot steaks?: Nicely browned onion is laid over the beet slices. 100 g butter is used for the frying.
Where does the recipe come from?: From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 380. It serves 4 and takes about 90 minutes in all, mostly boiling time for the beets.

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