Russian Favorite Salad – Olivye

It’s Monday, and it’s always fun to begin a week with something super decadent. Traditional, rich and slow-motion-in-front-of-you awesome. Like this Russian Favorite Salad – Olivye, which basically represents your new favorite potato salad!

Olivye has been and always will be a staple at our family gatherings. We make it with bologna, ham, beef, chicken or simply vegetarian. Just looking at this salad makes my mouth water. My hands can’t stop but reach out for giant spoonfuls to “taste for salt”.

There are countless variations and personal takes on Olivye. The original salad was the creation of French chef Olivier, working in Russia in the 19^th century. Ever since it become an ultimate “Russian salad.”

It’s hearty, delicious and filling, like only the best salads are. There are a few variations, that run from family to family, but in your perfect world you would want this Favorite Russian Salad – Olivye to be the following:

• Made with oven-roasted vegetables. Poaching is the traditional way of cooking vegetables for Olivye, but I find that roasting preserves more flavor and healthy vitamins. It takes a tiny bit more time, but so worth it and it’s just my jam;
• Made with classic Russian mayo, which you can find at any eastern european store. It’s more creamy than your regular Hellman’s and has just a touch of mustard flavor. If you can’t find it, mix your regular mayo with a bit of dijon mustard;
• Made tomorrow night: it’s quick! If you prep the stuff ahead of time and do the dicing when ready;
• Made the morning of the first snow: this is the moment where I pause to say how much I love Canada;
• Made Thanksgiving day. Not that I’m already going there, but just in case we might want to be ultra prepared and dwell on food;
• Made Christmas Eve morning: because what the heck does a person even make on Christmas Eve morning;
• Made on New Year’s Eve: time for Olivye for the happy new year start!

Ingredients:

3-4 medium potatoes

4 medium carrots

5 eggs

1 (7 oz) can sweet peas

1 lb bologna (substitute with ham, cooked chicken or beef)

 5 medium dill pickles

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 tbsp dill, chopped

1 tbsp parsley chopped

1-1/2 cup mayonnaise

few bay leaves and peppercorns

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wrap unpeeled potatoes, carrots, bay leaves and peppercorns in aluminum foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fork tender, but don’t get them too soft. Set aside to cool.

While the vegetables are roasting, put eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil uncovered, then turn the heat off and leave it on the stove covered for 15 minutes. Then cool them down in the ice bath.

Peel the roasted vegetables and eggs. Dice the bologna, potatoes, carrots, eggs and pickles into equal size dice (pea size).

Add diced onion, dill, parsley and season everything with salt and pepper. Dress the mixture with mayonnaise.

Lastly, add drained peas and mix well to combine. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Also, one more thing – this is my favorite sandwich.