Dahlia rösti with ketchup and roasted beetroot

Crisp, golden root vegetable cakes topped with cooling Greek yoghurt, sweet-tart Chioggia beetroot and a bright tomato salsa. The rösti bring a lightly nutty, savoury base, while the roasted beetroot adds earthy sweetness and the salsa lifts everything with freshness and heat. It is a colourful, plant-led dish that feels simple, seasonal and full of texture.

By Lucy Hutchings
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes

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Nutri-Score A reflects a vegetable-forward vegetarian dish built around beetroot, tomato, dahlia root and a small amount of oil, with Greek yoghurt adding protein and creaminess.

Per serving (approx.): 280 kcal, Fat 11g, Carbs 34g, Sugars 9g, Fibre 6g, Protein 8g.

Equipment

• Chef knife →
• Bowl →
• Box grater
• Baking tray
• Frying pan
• Spatula
• Measuring jug
• Kitchen paper

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Ingredients

Roasted beetroot

• 1 Chioggia beetroot, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 25ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lime, juice only
• Sea salt

Tomato salsa

• 4 storage tomatoes or yellow tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tsp chopped fresh dill

Dahlia rösti

• 250g dahlia roots, trimmed, scrubbed and grated
• 1 tbsp chestnut flour
• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp mild extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• 100ml Greek yoghurt, to serve

Customise

• Swap the Greek yoghurt for a dairy-free coconut yoghurt if you want to keep the dish fully plant-based.
• Use ordinary red beetroot if Chioggia beetroot is not available, keeping the same roasting method and lime finish.
• Replace the chestnut flour with buckwheat flour for a similar gluten-free binding effect and a slightly earthier flavour.
• Add a little finely chopped mint or parsley to the salsa if you want a fresher herb note alongside the dill.
• Serve with extra lime wedges if you like a sharper, brighter finish over the roasted beetroot and rösti.

Method

1. Roast the beetroot (20 minutes)

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7 so it is hot enough to roast the beetroot quickly and keep its colour vivid.
2. Toss the chopped Chioggia beetroot with the olive oil, spread it over a baking tray and season with sea salt.
3. Roast for around 15 minutes, checking and tossing at 5 and 10 minutes, then cook for a few more minutes if needed until tender and lightly golden.
4. Remove the beetroot from the oven and add the lime juice straight away, tossing it through so the beetroot catches the sharp, fresh flavour before the heat evaporates it.

2. Mix the tomato salsa (5 minutes)

5. Put the chopped tomatoes, red chilli and dill into a bowl and stir everything together until the salsa looks juicy and well mixed.
6. Set the salsa aside so the flavours mingle while you make the rösti.

3. Prepare the dahlia rösti mixture (10 minutes)

7. Squeeze handfuls of the grated dahlia roots firmly over a bowl to remove as much liquid as possible, then keep the liquid to one side and add it to the reserved tomato juice if you like.
8. Transfer the squeezed dahlia to a clean bowl and mix in the chestnut flour, spring onion and a pinch of sea salt with your fingers.
9. Add half of the beaten egg and mix again until the mixture just holds together, adding a little more egg only if it feels too dry.
10. Shape the mixture into three round rösti, pressing gently into discs about 1.5cm thick without compacting them too much, so they stay light in the middle.

4. Fry the rösti (8–10 minutes)

11. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat until it shimmers and is ready for frying.
12. Add the rösti to the hot pan and move them slightly at first so they do not stick, then cook until golden underneath.
13. Flip the rösti and cook the other side until both sides are crisp and golden, which should take about 4–5 minutes in total.
14. Lift the rösti out and drain briefly on kitchen paper so they stay crisp when you plate them.

5. Plate and serve (2 minutes)

15. Spoon the Greek yoghurt onto each plate and place the rösti on top so the yoghurt softens slightly under the warm potato-like crust.
16. Top with the roasted Chioggia beetroot, then finish with a spoonful of the tomato salsa for colour, freshness and a little heat.
17. Serve straight away while the rösti are crisp and the beetroot is still warm.