It had been a while since I last paired dill and beetroot on my ingredients list. On their own both rank highly among my favourite flavours — dill especially, because when it’s fresh and fragrant it is almost intoxicatingly aromatic. It’s the kind of herb that could inspire a perfume, though that would be a little odd.
One of the earliest dishes I learned beyond cheese on toast was whole rainbow trout cooked en papillote with dill and lemon. “Mastered” is generous — it’s such a simple, forgiving dish — but the results are wonderfully tender and full of flavour. If you eat fish, it’s a must-try. Another yearly dill obsession for me is gravadlax, a recipe I inherited from a Danish relative. I usually cure two whole sides of salmon with generous layers of salt, pepper and forests of fresh dill. The finished fish is irresistible, sliced thin and eaten daily with tangy mustard sauce and rye bread until it’s gone.
Back to today’s recipe. I started writing this as a summery post full of picnics, sunshine and barbecues, but quickly realised dips aren’t just for summer — I make them all year. Beetroot itself is widely available for most of the year, so this dip is an all-seasons recipe: comforting with crisps or lighter with crudités. I happened to make it in summer, but you can enjoy it anytime.
The colour is worth a mention — I haven’t edited these photos. The dip really is that bright, rich fuchsia-crimson that instantly livens up a table, whatever the weather. It’s the kind of hue you might expect from a lipstick swatch, but it belongs on your plate. The flavour matches the colour: vibrant, slightly sweet earthiness from the roasted beetroot with the fresh, herbaceous lift of dill and the creaminess of yoghurt. While testing I found myself saying “one more spoonful” until the biscuits ran out. Whatever the season, give it a go — roast your beetroot and make this deliciously wholesome dip.
Can I use pre-cooked beetroot instead of raw?
A quick note from experience: I once used vacuum-packed cooked beetroot in a beetroot and coconut soup when I was short on time and the finished soup was noticeably different. It still tasted good, but the colour was a muted pale pink rather than the eye-catching crimson you get from roasting raw beets.
For beetroot-based recipes I recommend using raw beetroot whenever possible. Pre-cooked beetroot works in a pinch, but fresh-roasted beetroot delivers superior colour and depth of flavour. The visual impact is part of the appeal — vivid colour draws the eye and builds anticipation before the first bite.
Dill & beetroot dip
By Gavin Wren
Serves 6
(mostly cooking and cooling time)
Uses a blender
PDF recipe card to download or print
Ingredients
500g raw beetroot
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
15g dill, separate the fronds from the stems and discard the stems.
Juice of half a lemon
150g thick yoghurt
Directions
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 / 375°F / 191°C (171°C fan).
Wash the beetroot and trim the stalks to about 1 inch. Place the beetroot in a baking tray, cover with foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, uncover and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and cut the beetroot into roughly 1 cm chunks.
Place the cooked beetroot, salt, pepper, dill fronds and lemon juice into a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer the puree to a bowl and fold in the yoghurt until well combined. To serve, spoon a few extra dots of yoghurt on top and swirl gently to create a mottled effect.