Russian Salad with a Twist (Olivier Salad)

Slofoodgroup Team February 02, 2022

Russian Potato Salad with Chicken and Celery Root

Olivier salad, or Russian Potato Salad is a popular winter dish eaten around the holiday season in Russia and in the post-Soviet countries. It is fairly easy to make and it consists of diced boiled root vegetables—usually potatoes, celeriac, and carrots, accompanied by boiled meat and peas. If eaten during the holiday season, the salad gets to be decorated with random ingredients from  the fridge, which makes it a fun and great family activity. To season the salad, diced dill pickles are used, along with mustard and homemade mayonnaise to make it creamy. Although the original recipe only asks for salt and pepper as seasoning, we added a generous pinch of nutmeg to bring all the earthy flavors together. 

How to Make Olivier Salad with Root Vegetables Nutmeg

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 4 medium waxy potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 1/4 head of celeriac root
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 medium-sized chicken breast
• 4-6 dill pickles
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the mayonnaise:

• 1 hard-boiled egg yolk
• 1 raw egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 2 cups canola oil or any neutral oil
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes, carrots, and celeriac and boil whole in salted water until fork-tender; remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a different pot, boil the chicken breast until cooked; remove from the pot and set aside.
3. On a third pot, add enough water to cover blanch the peas; once the water starts boiling, add the frozen peas and cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked but still bright green in color; drain and set aside.
4. To a mixer bowl, add the raw egg yolk together with the hard-boiled egg yolk and mustard; mash with a fork until a rough paste is formed; using an electric mixer, blend until the composition is smooth; gradually incorporate the oil while continuously mixing to avoid splitting; continue to do so until the cups of oil are finished; add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and adjust to your liking.
5. Cut the pickles into small cubes and allow to drain excess moisture.
6. Cut the boiled vegetables into small cubes, all roughly the same size, and set aside.
7. Cut the meat in cubes, the same size as the vegetables, and set aside.
8. Bring all the veggies, meat, and pickles to a large bowl and mix well; add mayonnaise gradually until desired consistency. Season with mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; if there is any leftover mayonnaise left, use it for decorating the salad.