Homemade Horseradish Sauce

My aunt gave me a horseradish plant in the spring. Fun, I like horseradish. I planted it in a sunny spot outside of the garden beds because I was warned that it will take up a lot of space. The plant flourished throughout the growing season, producing long large leaves that sprouted into a big dome shape. I never watered it or tended to it, it just grew in the corner of the yard. Yesterday as we prepped the lawn for winter, mowing, raking and mulching, I figured it was time to unearth the horseradish that I had all but forgotten about.

Harvesting it was almost as easy as growing it. I hacked off all the leaves to see exactly where the root was, took a shovel and started digging. I went about 18 inches into the soil and started wedging the thick root upwards. There were a few roots clustered together. 

*If you leave a portion of the root it will grow back next year. So easy.

Horseradish has been cultivated since antiquity and is mentioned in Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. And today it's used mostly on meats, and in our house, in Bloody Mary's. The potency of the root comes from the breaking down of certain enzymes, so when it's grated or peeled it's starts to get it's characteristic "zing".

I thoroughly washed the roots to get most of the dirt off. Then I used a knife to cut away the outer skin. I chose a knife over a peeler because the skin was too knobbly for efficient peeling. To make the "sauce" is simple. For about an 10 inch root combine it in a food processor with...

• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• a pinch of salt

Proceed with caution! As you blend this mixture the powerful aroma will hit you harder than any onion or pepper. It'll burn your eyes for sure if you get too close. 

Adding the vinegar halts the enzymes from breaking down and will preserve it for about a month. It starts out as a white beige but will eventually darken as it loses potency and flavor. So I'll be sharing and using this up soon!

I tried making two different batches. The first I grated finely, then added it to the food processor. For the second batch, when my arm was a lot more tired, I just added chopped pieces and processed. I found the quality of the grated batch much nicer, uniform and creamy. This homemade version is totally worth it, it's got a fresh bright flavor.

So now I have about 2 pints worth of the sinus clearing condiment, what to do with it all...

I made up a horseradish mayo, a one to one ratio, great for sandwiches.
And I'll definitely be making a roast beef soon to pair with this.
And maybe some shrimp cocktail sauce? Mmm, yeah.
Oh, and Bloody Mary's. Lot's of Bloody Mary's.

And anything from this treasure trove of horseradish recipes.