This Russian Vinaigrette Salad is perfect for fall and winter. The vegetables are cooked in advance and seasoned with a simple vinaigrette.
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What is a Russian Vinaigrette Salad
This Russian Vinaigrette(Vinegret) Salad is a lovely recipe, perfect for the fall and winter seasons.
It is a popular recipe among Slavic countries. This salad is served for parties or holidays, like Christmas or New Year's Eve.
The main ingredients for this salad are potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, pickles, and sometimes sauerkraut.
Russians know this salad as Vinegret Salad, but don't get confused about the name, it is a salad, not a vinaigrette dressing spelled differently.
There is a reason why this salad is considered to be good in winter.
For many years, in Eastern Europe root vegetables were the only vegetables available during the cold season, so people were used to making versatile recipes out of potatoes, carrots, beets, and pickles .
This recipe is no exception.
However, just when you thought you ran out of all the conceivable vegetable salad recipes, here is a treat for your next meal.
It makes a good recipe for vegetarians or vegans, but it is also a great side dish for a meal that includes meat.
Salads are recognized as an important part of the meal. In many countries, salad is served with the main dish, while in the United States, is a meal in itself.
In Eastern Europe, the sophistication and finesse of western salad are still in the early ages, therefore the salads remain simple and down to earth.
For many years, because of the enormous premium paid on fresh vegetables, many people preferred to eat them without any dressing at all, or just lightly sprinkled with oil and vinegar, or lemon juice.
Most of my salads on the blog are like that. I grew up this way and I have a hard time buying dressing in the store. I also could not find something to fall in love with.
If I think about it, this is also the new recommendation for eating, less dressing and more olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice when it comes to salads, right?
I think this would be really good with fried sausages, or a steak, or a grilled pork chop.
How To Make
The root vegetables are cooked in advance, so leftover or canned vegetables are a great option to use. Basically, we will work with beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, onion, and dill.
We will cook, chop and add them to a bowl, then make a simple vinaigrette that will dress these beautiful vegetables.
Preparing the beets
My choice is to roast the beets.
Baking the beet intensifies its sweet and earthy flavor, whereas boiling might dilute it. However, boiling is also an acceptable method if you're short on time or prefer it.
I like roasting the beets instead of cooking them in the water, but once in a while I also use canned beets in salted water. They are awesome vegetables to consume during the winter months.
However, beets roasted in the oven retain their color, flavor, and nutritional benefits. It is very easy to roast beets.
Just preheat the oven to 375F, wrap the beets in aluminum foil, and bake for about 1 ¼ hours. When the beets are cool to handle, peel them and use them in your salad.
Cooking the carrots and the potatoes
The next step is to cook the potatoes. I boiled them first in salted water for about 10 minutes, before I added the carrots. The carrots were cooked for 10 minutes more.
If you have canned green peas, drain them first, then use them. Frozen peas lightly cooked in salted water are perfect for this recipe as well.
Another ingredient is the pickles. I usually make my own pickles but of course, if you prefer, you can buy them in jars.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, beets, peas, onion, pickles, and dill. Set aside.
How to make the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, vinegar, oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing over the vegetables and mix gently to combine.
This is a simple vinaigrette and to tell you the truth, I like this type of dressing more than any dressing from the store. I grew up with this stuff, so don't mind me.
Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving, so the vegetables have some time to marinade and absorb some of the dressing.
Low in fat and full of nutritious vegetables, this salad is also portable, and does not require refrigeration, so you can make it for a potluck or picnic.
Expert Tip
For an added depth of flavor, consider roasting the carrots and potatoes along with the beet. This imparts a sweet, caramelized note to the vegetables, which can complement the tanginess of the dressing.
Storage Instructions
The leftovers are great. Some foods are better after a few days and this salad falls into that category.
The vegetables absorb the tangy flavor of the vinaigrette and get friendlier with each other.
Store the Russian Vinaigrette Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should be consumed within 3-4 days for the best taste and freshness. I do not recommend freezing it.
Recipe Faqs
Waxy potatoes, like Yukon Gold or red potatoes, are recommended because they hold their shape well after boiling and don't turn mushy easily.
Yes, preparing the salad a day in advance allows the flavors to meld together. However, you might want to add the beets last to prevent them from coloring the entire salad if that's a concern for presentation.
Freezing is not recommended, as it can change the texture of the vegetables, making them mushy upon thawing. This salad is best enjoyed fresh or within a few days of preparation.
Dare to try it? Delicious!
More Potato Salad Recipes
Romanian Oriental Potato Salad
Spanish potato salad (Ensaladilla Rusa)
Delicious Easy American Potato Salad
German Potato Salad- Rhineland Style
📖 Recipe
Russian Vinaigrette Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large beet or 1 can beets 16 oz drained and cut into ½ inch dice
- 3 medium-size boiling potatoes peeled
- 2 medium-size carrots peeled
- ¾ cup onion chopped
- 3 medium-size dill pickles diced
- 8 ½ ounces can peas drained (frozen peas and cooked are accepted too)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoon dried dill
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For Dressing:
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil or olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If using a fresh beet, preheat oven to 375F.
- Wrap the beet in aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 1¼ hours. When the beet is cool enough to handle, peel it, and cut it into ½-inch dice.
- Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cook until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 10 minutes more.
- Let cool, then cut the vegetables into ½-inch dice.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, onion, pickles, peas, beet and dill.
- Toss gently, taking care not to crush the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, vinegar, oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the salad with the dressing. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving, so the vegetables have some time to marinade and absorb some of the dressing.
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Lizzie says
How ahead can I make this salad?
The Bossy Kitchen says
A day before should be fine.
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
janet says
I made this salad today to eat with stroganoff. It is so delicious. the dressing is perfect! I will use the dressing on other salads as well. I will make this salad many many more times. My husband and son love it as well. Thank you for the recipe.
Alex says
Everything is like in original recipe except the color of whole salad supposed to be red. Sounds like not enough beets.
Also potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and pickles should be one size: just a little bit bigger than sweet pea (as in another famous Russian salad Olivier).
The Bossy Kitchen says
You are right, the original salad is more red and the root vegetables are cut smaller. In my version, I put less beets, because this is how we like this salad. We also like the vegetables a little bit bigger, for texture. However, this should not stop you to make the salad the way you like it and adapt the ingredients according to your taste and availability.