Felicity Cloake's Russian salad. Photograph: Robert Billington/The Guardian. Food styling: Loïc Parisot.
In much of the world, including Russia itself, this richly satisfying collation is known as salade olivier, after the 19th-century Belgian-born chef credited with its creation. Its wide popularity is testament to its adaptability and essential deliciousness: robust enough for picnics and packed lunches, it also keeps well and is great paired with just about anything, from fish to a simple green salad.
Prep 40 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
For the salad
200g waxy potatoes (ie, about 4 small ones)
100g carrots (ie, 1 medium one)
100g turnip (about ½ medium one, or 2 extra potatoes, if you prefer)
Salt
50g green beans
2 eggs (optional)
75g frozen peas
2 large gherkins, plus 2 tbsp of their pickling liquid
1 tbsp capers, rinsed if necessary
50g ham, or pressed tongue or cooked chicken (optional, see step 9)
1 small bunch dill, or chives, finely chopped
For the homemade mayonnaise (alternatively, use 3 tbsp ready-made)
1 egg
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 generous pinch salt
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar, or lemon juice
180ml groundnut oil, or light olive or sunflower oil
25ml extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
1 A note on the ingredients
Mayonnaise aside, the exact make-up of this salad is entirely up to you, though I would recommend including something starchy (potatoes are the usual base, but you might prefer to use sweet potato, parsnips or yam) and a selection of other flavours and textures, with a preference for cooked, rather than raw ingredients.
Vegetables on a chopping board with a peeler
2 Prep the root veg and beans
Start by peeling the potatoes, carrot and turnip, and top and tail the beans. Cut the carrot and turnip into large chunks, but keep the potatoes whole, unless any are particularly large. Other common additions include cauliflower, broad beans and beetroot (though add the latter as a garnish at the end, or it will turn the mayonnaise pink).
3 Boil the potatoes
Cooking each vegetable separately might seem a faff, but in such a simple dish it’s really worth doing to ensure that each element is perfect. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook until tender; try not to overcook them or they’ll be hard to cut neatly. Drain and leave to dry in the hot pan.
A pan with eggs in it, a bowl of peas and a mix of vegetables in a colander
4 Cook the rest of the veg and eggs
Meanwhile, bring another pan of salted water to a boil, drop in the beans and cook for two minutes. Scoop out into a large bowl filled with cold water (or the sink). In the same pan of boiling water, repeat with the carrots and turnip, then hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Put the peas in a colander or sieve and pour boiling water over them to thaw.
5 A note on the mayo
This salad is bound only by mayonnaise (a vegan one, if necessary), so it’s important that it tastes good. If there’s a jarred sort you like, by all means use that, but I really think it’s worth making from scratch for this dish. These days, I’m more likely to go for the stick-blender option than the traditional sort (though do feel free to get out the whisk if you wish).
A stick blender covered with mayonnaise and a bowl of mayonnaise
6 Start the mayo
To make stick-blender mayonnaise (this will give you more than you need here, but it keeps well), put the whole egg, mustard, salt and vinegar in a jar or glass that’s just wider than the head of the blender. Pour the lighter oil on top, leave for a minute to settle, then plunge in the blender so the head sits on the base of the jar.
7 Finish the mayo
Turn on to high speed and, without lifting the blender head, whizz until you see mayonnaise billowing out from the sides of the head. Gently tilt the jar this way and that, and gradually introduce more oil. Very slowly lift up the head of the blender through the oil until it’s all blended in. Whisk in the extra oil, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Hands grating the hardboiled eggs into a bowl of chopped vegetables
8 Chop the veg and eggs
Drain, dry and chop all the vegetables (except the peas, of course) into roughly 1cm dice or lengths, then mix these in a large bowl. Cut the gherkins (or other pickles) into 1cm dice and add to the bowl with two tablespoons of their pickling vinegar, the capers and peas. Peel the eggs (doing so underwater makes the process easier) and coarsely grate or dice into the salad.
chopped ham with a knife on a wooden board
9 Finishing touches
Cut the meat, if using, into strips (tofu or drained beans or pulses would be a good plant-based alternative; cooked fish or seafood such as brown shrimp, smoked trout or white crabmeat are also a pleasing addition). Finally, stir in the chopped herbs and about three tablespoons of the mayonnaise – you need only just enough to coat – then serve, or cover and store in the fridge.
