Ingredients
- Potatoes: 4 medium (about 600g or 1.3 lbs) waxy potatoes (like Yukon Gold or red potatoes), peeled
- Carrots: 3 medium (about 300g or 0.66 lbs), peeled
- Eggs: 5 large, hard-boiled and cooled
- Dill Pickles: 4-5 medium (about 250g or 0.55 lbs), preferably barrel-fermented or good quality crunchy dill pickles
- Cooked Meat: 300g (about 0.66 lbs) of your choice. Options include:
- Boiled chicken breast or thigh meat, cooled and diced
- Good quality cooked ham, diced
- “Doktorskaya” or similar bologna-style sausage, diced (a very traditional choice)
- Green Peas: 1 cup (about 150g) frozen peas, thawed (or canned, drained and rinsed)
- Mayonnaise: 1 cup (about 240ml) good quality, full-fat mayonnaise (adjust to your preferred creaminess)
- Fresh Dill: 2-3 tablespoons, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish)
- Fresh Parsley: 1-2 tablespoons, finely chopped (optional, for added freshness)
- Salt: 1 teaspoon, or to taste
- Black Pepper: ½ teaspoon, freshly ground, or to taste
- Optional: 1 small yellow onion or 2-3 spring onions, very finely diced (if using yellow onion, you can rinse it under cold water after dicing to mellow its flavor)
Instructions
- Cook the Root Vegetables:
- Place the peeled whole potatoes and whole carrots into a large pot. Cover them with cold water and add a pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until tender when pierced with a fork. This typically takes 20-30 minutes for potatoes and 15-25 minutes for carrots, depending on their size. Try to cook them so they are tender but still firm enough to hold their shape when diced. Avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, drain the vegetables immediately and let them cool completely. You can spread them on a baking sheet to speed up the cooling process. Chilling them in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or even overnight) makes dicing much easier and neater.
- Prepare the Eggs:
- While the vegetables are cooking, if you haven’t already, hard-boil the eggs. Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and make peeling easier.
- Once cooled, peel the eggs.
- Thaw the Peas:
- If using frozen peas, place them in a bowl and cover with hot water for a few minutes to thaw quickly. Drain them thoroughly. If using canned peas, simply drain and rinse.
- Dice the Ingredients:
- This is arguably the most crucial step for achieving the classic texture. Aim for uniform dice, about ¼ to ½ inch (0.5cm to 1cm) cubes, for all the main ingredients.
- Potatoes & Carrots: Once completely cool, dice the potatoes and carrots.
- Eggs: Dice the peeled hard-boiled eggs.
- Pickles: Dice the dill pickles. If they are very watery, you can gently pat them with a paper towel after dicing to remove excess moisture.
- Cooked Meat: Dice your chosen cooked meat (chicken, ham, or bologna) to the same size as the vegetables.
- Onion (if using): If you’re adding onion, dice it very finely. For a milder flavor, you can soak the diced yellow onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
- Combine the Salad:
- In a very large mixing bowl, gently combine the diced potatoes, carrots, eggs, pickles, cooked meat, and thawed peas.
- Add the finely chopped fresh dill and parsley (if using).
- Dress the Salad:
- Add the mayonnaise to the bowl. Start with about ¾ of the recommended amount and add more if needed, until the salad reaches your desired creaminess.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remember that pickles and some cooked meats are already salty, so taste before adding too much salt initially.
- Gently fold all the ingredients together with a large spoon or spatula until everything is evenly coated with mayonnaise. Be careful not to mash the potatoes.
- Chill and Rest:
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, or preferably overnight. This chilling time is essential! It allows the flavors to meld together beautifully, making the salad taste significantly better.
- Taste and Adjust:
- Before serving, give the salad a final gentle stir. Taste it and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, or even a touch more mayonnaise or pickle juice for tang) if necessary. The flavors can change slightly as it chills.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One Normal Portion
- Calories: 350-450