Key Sir (Beet and Potato Salad)

Key sir — red beet salad — is the jewel-toned mound that gives Ethiopian platters their most striking color. Roasted beets and boiled potatoes are tossed with a tart lemon vinaigrette that stains the potatoes a soft pink as the salad rests. It is a standard on the beyaynetu platter and a favorite in homes, loved for its bright, clean flavors and for the way it looks like a small celebration arranged on the injera.

A jewel-toned salad that turns everything pink

The beets are earthy and sweet from roasting, the potatoes soft and absorbent, and the sharp dressing cuts through both with a welcome tang. As it sits, the beet juices bleed into the potatoes and the onion mellows in the lemon, so the salad gets better the longer it waits. Serve it next to spicy stews, where its cool, sweet-tart character gives the palate a rest and the platter a flash of magenta.

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