Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)

Start boiling the potatoes with the skin on. About 20 minutes into the cooking time, add the carrots (also unpeeled) and cook for another 10 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, boil the eggs until hard-cooked, submerge in cold water, and peel.

Peel the potatoes and carrots once they are cool enough to handle. Dice potatoes, carrots, eggs, and pickles into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. Put the diced ingredients into a large bowl along with the peas and mayonnaise and mix carefully so as not to mush the peas. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve as-is or garnished with chopped parsley.

My version of Olivier is vegetarian but in Russia, this salad is usually made with meat. If you want to make a more traditional version, add 1 cup of chopped cooked beef or chicken; bologna; salami; or hot dogs.

This salad is tastier if you dress up your American mayonnaise a bit to resemble the tangier and spicier Russian mayo. To do this, simply blend the Russian mayo ingredients listed.

Dress the salad when it is ready to be served. It gets watery and spoils faster if it sits in the fridge with the mayo mixed in.

This recipe makes 4 hearty servings or up to 6 smaller servings.