Recipe: Smoked Whitefish and Beet Relish Tartines

the appetizer:

Take advantage of local and seasonal foods with Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden by Jeanne Kelley, including recipes like Clams with Chorizo and Saffron; Smoked Whitefish and Beet Relish Tartines; and Oven-Roasted Frites with Herbes de Provence.

Cookbook

Smoked Whitefish
and Beet Relish Tartines

Yield: 4 Tartines

Crusty organic wheat bread from a local bakery is really good in this recipe. Roasted beets are easy to make, but you can also buy cooked beets at several markets. I like smoked whitefish and trout—they are milder in flavor than smoked salmon and go excellently with the beets, watercress, and horseradish.

Relish

2 medium beets
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Horseradish Cream

1/3 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper

Tartines

4 slices wheat bread
4 ounces smoked whitefish or trout
16 large sprigs watercress

To make the relish: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Trim the beets and arrange them in a medium-sized baking dish. Drizzle them with the vegetable oil, cover with aluminum foil, and roast until they are tender when pierced with a small sharp knife, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. (Can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Cool and refrigerate in a plastic bag.)

Finely grate the beets into a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the green onions, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the horseradish cream: Mix the crème fraîche and horseradish in a small bowl.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble the tartines: Lightly toast the bread. Spread the beet relish on the toasts, dividing it evenly. Top the beet relish with smoked fish, dividing evenly. Decorate the tartines with the watercress. Drizzle about 1 generous tablespoonful of the horseradish cream over each tartine and serve.

Tip: I like to roast a bunch of beets all at once and keep them in the refrigerator to add to salads, sautés, and even sandwiches.