Fresh Prepared Balsamic Horseradish

As usual with my fall garden harvest recipes, this one is a vague one. But don’t be scared! Just taste and add, taste and add. You really can not screw this up.

If you don’t have a horseradish plant to dig the roots up, then buy a few large pieces of the root at the store or farmer’s market.

Wash the dirt off and use a sturdy vegetable peeler to peel away the darker outer layer of the root, exposing the bright white inside. If you have very large roots (over 1.5″ diameter), consider popping out the tough circular core. They are sort of like carrots: when they get bigger, the center gets more tough and less flavorful.

Here is the trick to understanding horseradish: it doesn’t release it’s pungency or spice until it is exposed to air. The finer it is shredded or ground, the hotter it is. It also takes a few minutes for those flavors to develop. Assuming you want the hottest horseradish possible, shred and let it sit for at least 3 minutes before adding the vinegar (which halts the development of the heat).

The best way to prepare the root is to shred it with a microplane grater. This year, I had an awful lot to shred, so I used the food processor to coarsely grate it, then put it back into the food processor with the blade and chopped it to consistency that I like (you can click on my link if you would like to see pictures of that). Mine is a bit coarser than most prefer, though I like it. A microplane will give you a very consistent, small shred.

Once you have shredded the root, add enough vinegar to coat the shredded horseradish well, without having the shreds swimming it in or the vinegar puddling in the bottom of the bowl.

My secret is to use 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part balsamic vinegar. The balsamic adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the pungent horseradish. Also add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt (less if you are using table salt).

Taste it and adjust vinegar and salt to taste. Spoon into 1/2-pint canning jars and screw the lids on. This can’t be heat processed, so freeze whatever you won’t use in the next few months.

Try it in mashed potatoes, on shrimp, in gazpacho and of course, on your steak!