Crispy Beet Risotto Cakes
My husband and I were dining with friends in Colorado recently, at a restaurant called Justice Snow in Aspen. It was quite bustling and busy, which means that for me, it was loud and everyone had to yell to be heard.
I was very excited about the menu, however, and without hesitation I ordered trout. Our friend ordered the roasted chicken served with crispy beet risotto, english peas, charred turnips, carrots, spiced yogurt, and ver jus.
The beet risotto was made crispy by frying it like a cake or fritter. Fortunately I got to taste it, and I knew then I wanted to make it at home.
It was especially tempting to recreate because I’ve never used beets in a risotto, and I thought I’d used about all vegetables, from carrots to pumpkin to zucchini and tomato. It’s probably because my husband doesn’t eat beets, and he’s the big risotto eater in our family.
So here’s what I did. If you need a more complete risotto tutorial, check our my mushroom risotto. It’s similar to this one because it uses bits of things as well as special liquid – in this case – beet juice.
Crispy Beet Risotto Cakes
Whole beets from a can, about 5-6 small
Reserved beet juice, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely choppped
1 1/4 cup risotto rice, like arborio or carnaroli
White or red wine, about 1/3 cup
Chicken Broth, about 1 cup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for frying
Drain the whole beets and save the juice.
Then finely chop the beets into bits and set aside.
Begin the risotto by heating the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then add the rice.
Stir well until all of the rice grains are coated with oil. Add the wine and stir until the wine is absorbed. Adjust the heat so there’s simmmring but no burning. Then gradually add 1/4 cup or so of chicken broth and stir until it’s absorbed, and repeat with the remaining broth.
At this point, add amount of beet juice that suits you; I used about 1/4 cup.
After a few minutes, add the beet bits.
Continue to stir gently. Once just about all of the liquid is absorbed, add the cream and cheese. Stir to combine, then set the risotto to cool slightly.
The cakes can be made free-form, but I used a 3 1/2″ ring. Smaller cakes would be really pretty for a dinner party, because they could be re-heated.
Heat a little olive oil (or butter) to a flat skillet. Add some risotto to fill the ring and cook over fairly high heat to get the risotto crispy.
Gently turn over the risotto cake and brown/crisp the other side. This was much more difficult than I anticipated. Although I used a small amount of cheese in this risotto, it was probably still too much and created some sticking in the skillet.
I served the risotto cake with a filet of salmon and roasted Brussels sprouts, just for the spectacular colors!
Just for fun I added a little Mexican crema to the risotto cake, and sprinkled some chopped chives on top.
In spite of my problems cooking the cakes, they cut into bite-sized pieces nicely, and were delicious.
If you don’t want to bother making the cakes, I can honestly state that this is one of the best risottos I’ve ever made! And it’s not overwhelmingly beety.
note: In my memory of our friend’s crispy beet risotto, I think the risotto “cake” was white, with bits of beets. What the chef probably did was omit the beet juice, and add the beet bits at the very last minute before crisping the cakes. Personally, I don’t mind the bright magenta color, and the beet juice probably added more flavor. But if you don’t want hot fuschia risotto cakes, do leave out the beet juice and use some more broth instead.
Interesting take on risotto. Funny how when I glanced quickly at the picture in my phone, I thought it was boeuf tartare.
It’s pretty red!
I saw “crispy” and was intrigued as well. How fun! Beets are so beautiful & flavorful. Thanks for sharing!
The restaurant could have called it a risotto cake with beets…
It was good, crispy and not crispy!
I had to make sure to not crisp too much and made the rice hard, so I fiddled with the heat a bit, but they’re fun. The risotto itself was really good too.
It looks great, I’d eat it!!
That’s a compliment!
😀😀
Beet risotto has been on my “want to make” list for a long time. However, there’s so much else on this list that it’s always taken a back seat. I almost bought a bunch of mixed beets at the market earlier today, so maybe I’ll buy some next week and move the beet risotto way up on my list…
I know there’s no comparison to fresh, but I use a lot of canned beets when i need to, and they’re good. they definitely worked in this recipe, plus you get the juice!
Thank you Bobbi!
I love risotto and my husband loves beetroot. I am going to make this recipe this weekend to make us both happy. Alice may even eat a small portion. Happy Halloween and thank you for sharing another great recipe Mimi! xx
Thank you Emma! Actually my grand daughter had some! I think she like the cheesiness of the risotto!
Thanks for the tip Mimi. Ill try the recipe with Alice. xx
This would definitely grab my husband’s interest. He loves beets.
I was surprised how un-beety the risotto was! Even with the beet juice!
That’s good because while my husband loves beetroot, me? not so much. :)
Chef Mimi this is a beautiful meal! I love the vibrant color of the risotto, and served with salmon and Brussels sprouts? Delicious!
Thank y ou! It was indeed colorful!
I wish your hubby would have tried it! Mine thinks he doesn’t like beets either but I love the idea of these cakes! They are so pretty with the fuschia color and went really well with your other plate ingredients.
Thank you. He has it in his mind that he dislikes certain foods although he’s never tried them. After almost 35 years I’ve given up trying…..
Maybe this is a good way to get the husband to eat beets :) Love this idea!
Even with the beet juice and bits, the risotto wasn’t that “beety.”
This looks wonderful and I hope to make it soon. I think it is a great idea to use the beet juice if you have it. I wonder what happens if you you use grated raw beets.
I don’t know… You could add them early enough so that they would cook – if grated they wouldn’t take long to cook through, right?!!
So much goodness in here Chef Mimi from all of that purple!
Hahaha! Purple heaven.
Oh I love beets and love risotto! I’d be in heaven eating this! :)
It was pretty heavenly!
It looks absolutely stunning! Think I’d like to give this a go 😀
Thank you !
Oh no! I had to teach myself to eat mushrooms and beets – such earthy flavors.
It’s a beautiful little town with fabulous restaurants!
My husband and I both love beets and this sounds like a great new way to enjoy them.
The cakes are fun and pretty. Not necessary, but do at least make a risotto with beets. It was spectacular!
I am a huge beet risotto fan, although never had any leftover with which to make cakes! Wonderful idea.
I can definitely appreciate that! It’s good the traditional way, too. Especially eating it out of the pot!
Absolutely delish ♥
Thank you!
I have to try! This risotto is gorgeous and beets just happen to be my favorite vegetable. Thank you for the idea!
Aren’t beets wonderful ?!!
Didn’t know beet risotto existed, Mimi, but if I saw it on a menu, I’d have to order it. So glad that you were able to recreate the dish and have shared the recipe with us. Thank you.
You are so welcome John! I thought it was excellent!
Love beets, but have never had them in a risotto. Or even thought about using them in risotto! Neat dish — gotta make it. Thanks!
Me, too! But they make a fabulous risotto!
We grew beets this summer in the garden where I volunteer. I was amazed how easy they were to grow. Will definitely be saving this recipe for next year’s harvest. Love the color.
It was a really really good risotto!
Just sublime! I love beetroot, I love risotto – such a gorgeous colour on the plate too. Lovely recipe x
Thank you! It was pretty damn good if I might say that!
Looks interesting. This is something id like to try.
Okay, you are officially my #1 favourite blog. I can’t wait to use this recipe for the new beets I bought yesterday.
Hahahaha! That’s so sweet!!!