Scuttlebutt
Updated June 18, 2024
- Total Time
- 2 hours (plus 1 day, if making pickled beets)
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours (plus 1 day, if making pickled beets)
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1bunch beets (about 5 beets), scrubbed and trimmed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup red wine vinegar
- ½cup granulated sugar
- ½tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- ½tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1whole star anise, broken up
- 4whole allspice berries
- ½cup julienned carrots
- ¼cup apple cider vinegar
- ½cup mayonnaise (or pimenton aioli; see Tip)
- ½teaspoon pimentón (or smoked or sweet paprika)
- 1garlic clove, grated
- 4(4-by-4-inch) pieces focaccia (store-bought or homemade)
- 4hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
- ¼cup pitted oil-cured olives, chopped
- 2tablespoons capers
- 1cup assorted plucked fresh herb leaves and tender stems (any combination of parsley, mint, dill and cilantro)
- 2medium pickled beets, sliced ¼-inch-thick
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- 4ounces feta (preferably in block form, for slicing)
For the Pickled Beets (optional)
For the Sandwiches
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
861 calories; 59 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 37 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 1160 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the beets, if making your own, a day before you want to make your sandwiches. (If using store-bought pickled beets, skip to Step 5.) Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
Put the beets in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Add just enough water to the pan to evenly cover the bottom by about 1 inch. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Let the beets cool until you can handle them, then peel them, slipping the skins off with your fingers or a kitchen towel and using a paring knife where they stick. Cut into ¼-inch slices and place in a large, heatproof bowl.
- Step 3
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the remaining pickled beet ingredients and ½ tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the pickle brine over the sliced beets.
- Step 4
Let the beet pickles cool at room temperature and then put the beets and their brine into a plastic or glass container, cover and refrigerate. The pickled beets will be ready to eat the next day and will keep for up to 2 months.
- Step 5
To make the sandwiches, toss the carrots and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl; set aside 15 minutes.
- Step 6
In another small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, pimentón and garlic.
- Step 7
Split the focaccia squares in half horizontally and arrange on a large cutting board or baking sheet, cut sides up. Spread both cut sides with the pimentón mayonnaise. Arrange the egg slices evenly on the bottom half of the bread.
- Step 8
Drain the carrots and add them to a large bowl, along with the olives, capers, herbs and sliced beets. Add just enough olive oil to coat lightly and toss until combined. Mound the salad on top of the egg. Slice the feta and arrange on top of the salad (or crumble it on top).
- Step 9
Quickly replace the top of the bread before the sandwich falls apart, pressing gently to help it hold together, and serve right away.
- If you’d like to make pimentón aioli from scratch — rather than using store-bought mayonnaise, mash a garlic clove with a bit of salt until it makes a paste. Add 1 egg yolk, ½ teaspoon pimentón and 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar. Whisk the mixture and, while whisking, slowly drizzle in 4 ounces of olive oil until you make a thick aioli.
Private Notes
Comments
As I live in a rural part of the country, and only have supercenters as my grocery stores, I had to make some substitutions - regular green olives, rather than oil-cured, and generic “pickling spices”, rather than all the ones called for. It was still absolutely delicious. One extra note - since I had a day to pickle the beets, I made my own focaccia. It made it all the better.
Once you have used all of the pickled beets, save the liquid and use it pickle hard boil eggs.
This was a wonderful and unique sandwich. I pickeled my own beets, but started with those vaccum-packed roasted baby beets, which saved tons of time. Wow. What a revelation. They are delicious. I didn't have star anis, but I'll make sure to have it done the next batch.
What a showstopper! I made this to share with friends at an outdoor concert and it was a hit. Didn’t seem like it would travel well pre-assembled, so I brought the constituent ingredients and everyone made their own. Used the Bon Appétit focaccia recipe since the one linked here got mixed reviews, and pickled my own beets. Used the extra feta, capers and olives to make a Taverna Salad (an all-time NYT Cooking Greatest) and served it all together. Nice project for a leisurely weekend and definitely worth the effort.
Based on the overwhelming praise in the comments, I expected to like this more. So much effort. So many resources. Result: too many competing flavors. Husband liked it, but I was underwhelmed. Will not make again.
One of the more amazing NYT Cooking recipes I've come across. Deep and interesting blend of flavors — and downright gorgeous to look at. That said, bring two plates to eat it: one to set the sandwich down on, another to catch the shower of filling that will fall from it with each bite. Messy? Definitely. But in a satisfying way, if you know how to handle an expert-level sando. Five stars.
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