Every christmas my wife who is Serbian, makes a potato salad that she calls Russian salad. Just like most heirloom recipes, it was passed on to her by her mother, who got it from her mother (who was in fact a Russian). Like I've said before, the most simple ingredients can make a wonderful dish unique.
So finally, I squeezed that recipe from her.
tanyatom1: well u slice potatoes 1kg, carrots 500gr, peas 500gr, pickles 1 pack,eggs 8pcs, 1 lemon, 500gr ham, chicken breast 1 pcs, mayo as you like
That's it.
What she didn't say is that you should not overcook the potatoes. They should have some bite. The carrots must be cooked just slightly more than blanched otherwise the salad will spoil quickly. The chicken must be hand separated. The pickles must be dill, diced fine. The eggs hard boiled and she was referring to the juice of one lemon, of course, conveniently excluding salt and pepper to taste.
I would pour in some of the liquid of the dill pickle to add a bit more acidity and tartness to the dish.
When assembling the salad, the ingredients must be at room temperature then chilled. Never freeze this salad and when storing, spread a thin layer of mayo on top. it provides a seal that will lock in the flavor.
Potatoes first, then the carrots, eggs, chicken, ham then pickles, now gently spoon in the peas. Mayo and juice of one lemon last.
My mom looks forward to receiving her customary bowl of salad every Christmas.
A collection of food. Good Food. The kind you would never ever get in a restaurant. Just something that your mother used to make that will never find its match anywhere, or maybe a personal creation that was inspired by someone else. Whatever it is, it deserves to be served. After all, when you're preparing something to eat, you should be thinking about who you'll be eating with.
