Chef notes
These magenta-colored, beet pickled eggs are Southern classics. Here they are deviled so their yolks are very creamy.
Swap options: You can substitute other vinegars for the apple cider vinegar, coriander seed for the dill seed and/or parsley for the dill.
Ingredients
- 3 small beets, scrubbed and trimmed
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon dill seed
- 6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
- 4 sprigs dill
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, more to taste
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Chopped fresh dill, for serving
Preparation
For pickling:
1.Heat oven to 400°F. Place beets in a small baking dish, add 2 tablespoons water to the bottom of pan, drizzle beets with oil, and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake until the beets are very soft, 30-60 minutes, adding more water if the pan dries out. Let beets cool. Peel beets with a paring knife and cut into quarters.
2.While beets are roasting, prepare the pickling liquid. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, dill seed and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.Place a third of the beets in a 1 quart jar or container. Top with 3 eggs and 2 dill sprigs. Add another third of the beets, then remaining eggs and remaining dill. Top with remaining beets. Cover with pickling liquid, adding water if needed to cover the top layer of beets. Seal jar and gently swirl the liquid around.
4.Let eggs pickle at room temperature for 4 hours. At this point you can either use them, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. The longer they sit in the pickling liquid, the stronger in flavor they become.
For the deviled eggs:
Remove eggs from the jar and cut them in half. Scoop yolks into a bowl and use a fork to mash them. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt, to taste. Either spoon the yolk mixture into the whites, or place yolk mixture in a resealable plastic bag with a tip cut off, and squeeze into the whites. Garnish with dill and serve with the beets alongside if you like.
