Russian Layered Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the potatoes, carrots, and beets in the boiling water until cooked but still firm, 15 to 20 minutes for the potatoes, 25 to 30 minutes for the carrots, and 40 minutes for the beets. Allow each to cool to the touch before further handling. Remove and discard the skins from the potatoes and beets. Shred the potatoes, carrots, and beets, keeping them separate.
• Arrange about half the onion and half the herring fillets in a layer in the bottom of a bowl. Cover the layer with about half of the grated potatoes, then a layer of about half the carrot, and finally about half the beet. Spread about 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise over the salad; season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers in the same order to finish building the salad. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. Serve cold.

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl., Meanwhile, combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved; pour over hot potatoes. Cool to room temperature., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 6-8 minutes. Add to potatoes. Stir in beets, celery and pickles. Combine mayonnaise, salt and pepper; gently stir into potato mixture. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt.
• Add whole potatoes to the boiling water, and cook 15 minutes. Add whole carrots to the cooking potatoes, and cook both another 10 minutes. Remove potatoes and carrots with a spider when easily pierced with a cake tester or a very thin knife blade, and set aside in a bowl.
• Add frozen peas to boiling water, and using the spider, remove them to a separate bowl as they float, until all peas have floated and been transferred to the bowl.
• Gently add the eggs, and allow to boil 10 minutes.
• While the eggs cook, peel the potatoes and carrots under cold running water by rubbing them gently with your fingers. Rinse the peas under cold running water to cool.
• Once the eggs are cooked, drain them, and peel under cold running water.
• Neatly dice the potatoes, carrots, ham, eggs and cornichons to the same approximate (and rather small) size as the peas, aiming for uniformity. Gently toss them all together in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise with the cornichon brine, and pour over the salad. Toss gently with rubber spatula or using your fingers until the salad is well coated. Season with several hearty grinds of black pepper.
• Refrigerate overnight, and serve cold.

Steps:

• Cook the carrots and potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 4 mins, then throw in the peas and cook for 4 mins more until all the vegetables are tender. Drain, cool for a few mins, then tip into a bowl with the cornichons, mayonnaise and parsley, if using. Mix well and season to taste. Delicious with leftover roast beef or lamb, wedges of pork pie or cold sliced ham or chicken.