Jamie Geller whips up kosher for Passover Beet Salad

Beets are a hot food trend, and many experts are singing their praises. This nutritional powerhouse is now available from Gefen, pre-peeled, vacuum-packed and ready to sweeten your Passover table or any occasion.

Gefen beets have no preservatives, additives, artificial colors, or flavors. They are also non-soy, non-dairy, and certified kosher for Passover and year-round (OU-P). They are a great source of vitamin C, iron, fiber, and many essential minerals. They’re also very low in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

Gefen’s vacuum-packed freshness makes their beets ideal for everything from salads and sides to smoothies and even snacking. Once you taste this versatile superfood, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Acclaimed food writer and celebrity chef Jamie Geller (Joy of Kosher) highlights the convenience of Gefen’s pre-cooked beets in a Passover chopped salad recipe that pays tribute to Russ and Daughters, the famed appetizing store of the Lower East Side. (See Recipe Below)

Jamie Geller’s Chopped Salad A la Russ and Daughters

Prep 30 minutes

Cook time 60 minutes

Serves 8 for appetizer and 4 for main lunch

The ingredients of this famous salad are well chosen and simple. The best tip for making this salad is to chop everything except the beets together. The ingredients really flavor each other and the end result is a mixed textured, smoky, creamy mish-mash.

Save time with cooked beets, such as Gefen Beets.

Salad

1 pound smoked white fish, broken into big chunks

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into gorgeous wedges

2 ripe but firm avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced

1 large Honeycrisp or other firm and sparkly flavored apple, cored and sliced

6 cups mixed sturdy greens, such as arugula, kale, or romaine

2 medium red beets, roasted*, peeled and diced

2 sheets matzo, broken into pieces

Dressing

1 cup buttermilk

2 heaping tablespoons sour cream

2 scallions, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons apple cider or white vinegar

2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation for Salad

Pile white fish, eggs, avocados, apple, greens, and matzo on a large cutting board and chop them all together. (YES, you should have bought the large cutting board!) This way the flavors really meld.

Preparation for Dressing

Shake buttermilk, sour cream, scallions, garlic, vinegar, horseradish, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a jar.

Store leftover dressing in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Assembly

This salad looks best on a platter so you can see all the colors. Skip the bowl! Pile diced beets on the bottom of the platter. Put all chopped salad on top of beets.

Drizzle buttermilk dressing and scatter pieces of matzo on top of salad.

Pass extra dressing when serving.

*Roasted Beets

Preheat oven to 375°F. Drizzle unpeeled beets with evoo and wrap in foil. Roast for about 45 to 50 minutes until a paring knife can easily pierce without resistance.