Fresh horseradish sauce is simple to make and it’s far better than anything you can purchase in the store. The grated/brined product you end up with is quite wonderful, a classic accompaniment to many traditional dishes, a classy condiment and an easy way to elevate a mundane Caesar cocktail.
One little known technique is to mix grated beets with grated horseradish for a slightly sweeter, less potent version of the traditional sauce. This works particularly well with overly strong horseradish.
Surprisingly Versatile
Horseradish sauce can add great flavour to a wide variety of recipes. It’s a perfect compliment to smoked fish and it flavours a white sauce beautifully. Try adding a spoonful to your mashed potatoes or potato salad or mix some in with devilled egg, salad dressings, potato latkes. Some people even like horseradish sauce mixed into their home-made mac and cheese. There really are too many possibilities to list!
One Word of Warning
Breathing in horseradish root while you are peeling and grating it can burn the sinuses and make your eyes water. It is best to do this work in a well ventilated area!
Grow your own
Take it a step further and grow your own horseradish. It is a perennial which means you plant it once and enjoy it for years to come.
Peel the horseradish. It’s just like peeling carrots; hard, twisted, gnarly carrots. Root selection will impact potency, with larger roots being milder than smaller roots. I used both, with perhaps a small preference to smaller roots. Grate the horseradish. This was, by far, the most time consuming, annoying part of the process. It took about two hours of fairly concentrated grating. I used a hand grater intended for cheese. I used a fairly small grind, but not the smallest. When freshly grated it’s quite a beautiful product. It’s got a fluffy, light texture, betraying its potency. I grated enough to fill eight 250ml wide mouth mason jars, lightly packed, leaving a little space at the top. Prepare the brine. Brine recipe is as follows: ½ cup white or apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar (optional) for every 1 cup of fresh horseradish Fill the mason jars with brine, ensuring enough fluid was added to cover all the horseradish. Taste testing should be done at this point. This particular batch is hot, and fresh, and good. Close the jars and put them in the refrigerator. In optimal conditions this will keep for up to six months.
Ingredients
Instructions
