And so I did. And I’ve been cooking my beets in the Instant Pot ever since. Sometimes I find the beets need a little more than 30 minutes, sometimes less, and, as I’ve discovered with other IP cooking experiments, the IP doesn’t necessarily make the beet-cooking process that much faster: it takes a few minutes for the pot to come to pressure, and then the beets cook for 30 to 35 minutes, and then they cool for another 10. But somehow, as with other IP experiments, the IP makes it feel easier, and I’ve been cooking beets more often because of it. The Six Seasons salad never materialized — the day escaped and when I discovered I didn’t have a few of the ingredients, the recipe took a turn, becoming a tartine instead: toasted slices of quinoa-flax bread smeared with mashed avocado topped with twists of thinly sliced beets. It looks kind of fancy and fussy, but it’s actually incredibly easy to assemble thanks to a simple trick (see below), and it tastes so good, the rich, creamy avocado a perfect foil for the bright, vinegar-soaked beets. A few notes: Beets: Dress them with vinegar when they are still warm. I remember reading this tip in an Ina Garten book several years ago, but a note in Six Seasons reminded me of its importance: “Always dress cooked roots and potatoes while they are still warm. The acidic ingredients will be absorbed more deeply, making your final dish nicely bright.” I know beets can be polarizing, but if you’re on the fence, try dousing them with vinegar and sea salt—they are irresistible. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t despair! You can cook beets how we’ve all been cooking beets before the birth of the IP. I like salt-roasting them, but you can steam roast or boil them, too. Notes in the recipe below. PS: Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice | Perfect Instant Pot Soft-Boiled Eggs Here’s how a play-by-play. Place beets in your Instant Pot with 1 cup water: Secure the lid into place, and turn valve to sealing. Using the manual settings and high pressure, cook the beets for 35 minutes. (This is the one I have: the 6-qt IP Duo.) Let the valve release naturally for 10 minutes. Let the beets cool briefly. Cut off the root end of each beet, then rub off the skins—paper towels helps here. Slice beets thinly. Salt them. Douse them in vinegar. Mash an avocado or two with salt and lemon. Meanwhile slice and toast some bread. Spread the mash over the toast. A pinch of dukkah, if you have it on hand, is nice but totally optional. Stack the beets and make a slit into the stack. Twist the beets into little horns and arrange on top of the avocados. Sprinkle with greens and drizzle with olive oil. 5 from 3 reviews I know “medium-sized” is very vague, but I haven’t been weighing the beets. The ones I’ve been buying have not been massive, but they have not been tiny either. It may take some trial and error to get the timing right and depending on which IP you have, the timing may vary. I have this one: 6-qt IP-Duo. If you have dukkah on hand, a pinch of it it nice here, but it’s totally optional.
