Hummus with Raw Root Gremolata
Roots are our original comfort food—affordable, dependable, and ready to feed us when other vegetables can’t. This recipe celebrates that humble power with a bright, tangy relish of sweet potatoes and beets spooned over store-bought hummus (yes, store-bought). It’s colorful, clever, and proof that a simple root can make something ordinary feel special. Even Vivian doesn’t always pull out the food processor, and this dish is her kind of shortcut: beautiful, easy, and deeply satisfying. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
For the hummus
1- 10-oz package store-bought hummus. (Any of the common flavors are suitable.)
Juice of half a lemon or 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons tasty olive oil
Small pinch salt
Beet & Sweet Potato Relish
Roughly ½ medium sweet potato
Roughly 1 medium beet
Zest and juice of one good lemon or two not-so-good
½ teaspoon salt
Good dash of hot sauce
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons torn mint
2 tablespoons nice olive oil
Directions
Fill two medium bowls about halfway with cool water. Peel the roots. Using a mandolin or a knife, slice the sweet potato and beets into ⅛ inch, or as thin as you can, slices. Lay the sweet potato and beets into separate stacks. Then slice into matchsticks. Rinse each vegetable in a separate bowl, using fresh changes of water if necessary until the water runs virtually clear. This shouldn’t take much for the potato, but beets can leach off a lot of color, and you don’t want the relish to be pink.
Drain the root vegetables on towels and transfer to a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients. Combine everything but the olive oil and mint and allow it to sit for a couple minutes before adding the olive oil and mint.
Serve at room temperature on top of hummus with a little extra olive oil drizzled over top. Toss leftovers into a green salad, stack it on a turkey sandwich or melt it into a grilled cheese the next day.