Salad Olivieh

Salad Olivieh is another name of a famous Russian potato salad that is the most traditional dish for the celebration of the New Year for Eastern European people. It can often be served during other family holidays, gatherings and even during normal weekdays.

The salad requires a bit of preparation and some good amount of chopping, but it is definitely worth every effort put into it! The beauty of salad Olivieh is that is stores pretty well in the fridge (up to 5 days). The only recommendation regarding storing would be to store mixed dry ingredients, and add mayonnaise right before serving.

Different cooks may use slightly different ingredients in this salad, but we recommend you to try this version, and if wanted you can customize it to your taste, adding or substituting the ingredients. Dill can be easily replaced by parsley, bologna by ham or cooked chicken, you can also leave out the mayo, and replace it with sour cream or plain yoghurt (the salad will not have the traditional taste, but it will still taste quite yummy!)

Try using homemade mayonnaise following our simple recipe, instead of the store-bought one. It is easy to make and much healthier than the ones you will find on the shelves of the supermarket. It will make your salad Olivie taste much much better!

Salad Olivieh is very forgiving, and uses the ingredients that are very easy to find in the supermarket, in fact, we are mostly sure that you will be able to find most of them in your kitchen already. Give it a try and let us know if you liked it as much as we do!

1. Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and place aside to let the potatoes cool down to the room temperature.

2. Prepare hard boiled eggs, let them to cool down to room temperature as well.

3. While potatoes and eggs are cooling, dice the pickled cucumbers, bologna (or ham) into small cubes. Wash and chop green onions. Open can with peas and drain the liquid, and set aside. Skin boiled potatoes, peel eggs, dive them into same small pieces as the rest of the ingredients.

4. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, add mayonnaise and mix well. Season with ground black pepper and salt if desired.

5. The salad can be served immediately or can be refrigerated for 30 minutes. Salad Olivieh can be a meal on its own - best enjoyed with good bread. It can also be served as a side - best enjoyed with mashed potatoes and some roasted chicken.

Chef’s tips:

● Ingredients can be left out or substituted depending on personal taste. If you are not a big fan of mayonnaise, try substituting it with plain yoghurt or sour cream.

● Stores best if kept in the fridge covered without mayonnaise. Add it right before serving.