Maydan’s Beet-Labneh Dip
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In early October, a friend sent me the recipe for the beet-labneh dip served at Washington D.C.’s Maydan. One look at the photo had me searching all over town for labneh, which I found at Honest Weight, then roasting the boodle of beets that had just arrived in my CSA.
About an hour later, when the beets were knife-tender and ready to be blended with the garlic, fresh lemon, and labneh, the dip emerged, a striking magenta purée, as vibrant in hue as in flavor.
I’ve since made the dip several times replacing the labneh with strained Greek yogurt, which works just as well. Maydan garnishes their beet “borani” with fresh dill and sesame seeds; I’ve been using a splash of olive oil and a pinch of za’atar.
If you’re looking for something a little different to serve to any guests who may be convening at your house for a New Year’s gathering, this is a fun one. And though I can’t say for sure, I suspect this could win over any beet skeptics in the crowd. Here’s to positive (wishful?) thinking in 2019!
PrintMaydan’s Beet-Labneh Dip
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 cups
Description
Adapted from The Washingtonian
A few notes:
Beets: You can cook beets in countless ways: salt-roasted, Instant Pot, or steam roasted, as here. No matter the method, the key is to peel them when they are warm—rub them with your hands or using paper towels. If you don’t peel them when they are warm, you will likely need to use a paring knife to remove the skin.
Labneh: Labneh is a soft cheese made from strained yogurt that has been consumed in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Israel for thousands of years. It is very hard to find — I found some at Honest Weight in Albany — but I find using Greek yogurt works just as well. Be sure to plan ahead if using Greek yogurt—it should strain overnight to allow it to thicken.
If you like video guidance, I made this in Instagram Stories.
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or labneh
- 2 to 3 medium red beets (8 to 12 oz)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- Salt to taste
- 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, if using Greek yogurt, plus more to taste
- Optional garnishes: fresh dill, black sesame and or white sesame seeds, olive oil, za’atar
- Serve with: crackers (I love these) or pita bread, raw or pickled vegetables—I like serving it with pickled cauliflower and carrots, endive spears, Little Gems or Romaine hearts
Instructions
- If you’re using Greek yogurt, line a sieve with a coffee filter, and set it over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the coffee filter and place the whole set up (bowl, sieve, filter) in the fridge to drain overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the beets in a small baking dish like a pie plate or 8-inch baking dish. Add water to reach halfway up the pan. Cover pan with foil. Transfer pan to the oven and cook until the beets until very tender, about an hour. Let cool briefly, then peel the beets by rubbing off the skins. Using paper towels might help. Roughly chop the beets.
- In a food processor or blender, add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a quarter of the cooked beets. Purée until very smooth— you’ll have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between periods of puréeing. Add 1/8 cup of the strained yogurt or labneh and purée until smooth. Add the remaining beets and repeat the puréeing-scraping process until the beets are very smooth. Add the remaining labneh or yogurt and lemon juice, and purée one more time until smooth. Taste. Add more salt and lemon to taste.
- Garnish as desired. Maydan uses dill and sesame seeds. I’ve been using olive oil and za’atar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
17 Comments on “Maydan’s Beet-Labneh Dip”
Hi Ali, beautiful! And Honest Weight also carries those crackers. Happy New Year!
Hi Louise! I LOVE those crackers. Happy 2019!!
Thank You very much for Your time and Your recipes !
I was lucky to discover Your site a couple of years ago, and always try to share it with My friends….
Happy New 2019 Year !
Please, stay as unique as You Are always!
Sincerely…
Awww thanks so much, Olga! Happy Happy New Year to you!!
If you use greek yogurt, do you need to start with more than a cup to make up for lost volume?
Nope! Just start with a cup of Greek yogurt … it will be slightly less than a cup once drained. Hope you like this! I love this one.
I made this with strained yogurt for a dinner party (where in fact several of us have been to and loved Maydan) and it was a huge hit. Definitely in the rotation from now on. Beets in the Instant Pot are a game changer and made this a very easy venture. Thank you Alexandra, and please come to DC and try Maydan soon 🙂
So wonderful to hear this Maria! I would absolutely love to visit DC and Maydan. Love love love that kind of food.
Hi, thank you for this beautiful-looking recipe. How far in advance of the serving date/time can this be made? Can I make it the day before a party and would it keep OK in the fridge?
Definitely! I would just taste it before serving and adjust as needed. Also, bring it to room temperature … I think it’s a little nicer when it’s not so cold.
This is soooo good. I didn’t have enough in the food processor to get the beets smooth with the first additions, but I pureed it for a few minutes at the end and the texture smoothed out perfectly.
Oh goodness, this is good. Made it with strained yogurt which worked great and garnished with dill and white sesame seeds. We ate this all up with crackers! Thank you, Alexandra, for sharing such hit recipes! I’m always v grateful!
So happy to hear this, Hina! I love this one, too … the color always gets me 🙂
This was so delicious. I played with the amounts, the recipe is flexible to taste.
Wonderful to hear this, Nisha!
Hi! I will make some variation of beet+Greek Yogurt dip tonight, I like the inspiration here. However, I just wanted to mention that roasting the beets with a bit of olive oil, wrapped in aluminum foil, letting them cool, then peeling them, never requires a knife for peeling. For me. Takes about an hour at 375 to roast. I just throw a few in when I have something else happening in the oven already. So, just another way to prep beets. 🙂
Tai, thanks so much for writing and sharing all of this! I will absolutely try your method next time around. Can’t wait. I love beets 🙂 🙂 🙂