Russian Beet and Potato Salad

One of my favourite ways to cook with beets is to add them to a deliciously savoury potato salad. This Russian Beet and Potato Salad combines beets with potatoes, carrots, peas, and onions. Tossed in a slightly sweet creamy sauce, this beautifully pink salad is both rustic and impressive!

I’m a fan of beets! They’re great when roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper, but my Newfoundland upbringing will always have me favouring pickled beets. I thought about using pickled beets on this Russian Beet and Potato Salad, but I think the flavour would have been too much like my Pickled Beet Salad. Instead, I used roasted beets to keep the recipe as authentically as my personal tastes would allow.

I say authenically as my personal tastes allow because I know there are some really big food bloggers out there with millions of monthly views and thousands of subscribers who mass produce content that just looks good. But, here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, every recipe you see on my website was made by me, photographed by me, and eaten by me, John.e, and McKenna whenever she’s visiting. And, in the case that there’s too much for just us, I package up portions for our neighbours and friends too.

So, I see no point in preparing a recipe that I know we won’t enjoy after the photos are taken and the mess is cleaned up. Is this potato salad 100% authentic? To me it is, but there are many versions out there. If you decide to make this for your family, make it authentically yours. For example, we don’t care much for grainy mustard in salads, but you might, so switch out the honey mustard for a mustard you prefer.

ROASTING FRESH BEETS

This is really easy to do! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the beets well, removing any soil residue. (Do not cut the beets, leave the tails and stems intact.) Wrap each beet loosely in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast the beets for 40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the beet with a paring knife. Remove the beets from the oven and allow them to cool for 20 minutes.

Working with one beet at a time, remove the aluminum foil, and while holding the beet under running water, gently rub the skin with your hands/fingers to remove the peel. Once all of the peel has been removed, trim the tails and stems and discard them. Cut the beets into bite-sized pieces or slices. You can season the beets now if you wish, however they are good just the way they are. To season, transfer the beets to a bowl and toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Beets – I like to use roasted beets, but you can use boiled beets or even store-bought beets. Do not used pickled beets here.
• Potatoes – Use 5-7 medium-sized white flesh potatoes. You can easily double or even triple this recipe if you need to feed more than eight people.
• Carrots – One large carrot will do. You will need one cup of diced carrots.
• Green Peas – You can use fresh, but I’m using frozen. If you used canned green peas, drain them well and do not cook them as per the instructions below.
• Green Onions – These add a burst of freshness to the salad.
• Mayonnaise – You can use any mayonnaise, even the fat free stuff!
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Mustard – I’m using both yellow mustard and honey mustard.
• Sugar – This is optional.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE A RUSSIAN BEET AND POTATO SALAD

You can use canned or jarred beets for this recipe. Do not use pickled beets! Otherwise, wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and roast until tender at 350 degrees F. Once cool to the touch, remove the foil and rub the beet to remove the skin. It should slide right off! Dice the beet and set it aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Add the diced potatoes to a pot and cover the potatoes by an inch with cold water. Salt the water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain and set aside to cool. Repeat with the diced carrots. One the carrots are nearly cooked, add the frozen green peas and boil them with the carrots for two minutes. Drain the peas and carrots and allow them to cool.

Once all of the veggies are prepped, prepare the salad dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, apple cider vineger, yellow mustard, honey mustard, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. Set aside. Transfer all of the veggies – potatoes, beets, carrots, peas, and green onions – to a mixing bowl. Pour over the dressing. Using a large spoon, vigorously mix all of the ingredients together. Taste for seasoning and sweetness and adjust accordingly. You may serve the salad immediately, however for best results, transfer the salad to a bowl with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

STORING AND REFRIGERATION

It’s important to let the salad chill in the fridge for at least four hours. This will allow the ingredients time to hang out and get to know each other! The vegetables and dressing will marry and all of the flavours will be exchanged and absorbed.

After four hours, the salad is ready to serve. Toss it again before plating just to freshen everything up. The salad does tend to settle a little bit. You can safely store this salad in your fridge for up to three days. Be sure to keep the salad covered at all times.

MORE POTATO SALAD!

Lord Byron’s Kitchen has a lot of potato salad recipes. Yes, a good percentage of them are prepared in Newfoundland style, but some of them are not. So, basically, there’s a potato salad recipe here for everyone!

Inspired by classic Greek ingredients, with bright and fresh flavours, Greek Potato Salad is a great alternative to regular home style potato salad. Complete with feta, lemon, dill and pine nuts – who could resist!? For the serious dill pickle enthusiast, Dill Pickle Potato Salad is a creamy, dill-packed side dish fit for any summertime meal! Prepared with dill pickles, fresh chopped dill, and dill pickle juice too, this salad is very dilly indeed! Familiar Tex Mex ingredients can be found in my delicious Tex Mex Potato Salad. Doesn’t it just scream summer? Prepared with baby potatoes, black beans, corn, bell peppers, and a mayonnaise and sour cream-based sauce, this potato salad is sure to be a hit!

In terms of Newfoundland-style potato salads, I’ve got you covered there too! I’ve already mentioned my favourite of the three common types, Vegetable Potato Salad. It’s made with chopped hard boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, and green onions; it’s creamy, comforting, and oh so delicious! Mustard Potato Salad is very similar to regular potato salad, but with tang and zing from yellow mustard. Also, this one doesn’t have eggs. It’s a great way to update your regular salad with a new flavour profile! And, finally, there’s my Pickled Beet Potato Salad which is a sweet and creamy side dish paired perfectly with chicken or roast beef; a perfect summer potluck take-along side dish!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!