Romanian Potato Salad(Salata de Boeuf)...

.
Romanian Potato Salad(Salata de Boeuf)... This is a typical Romanian dish that can be found in many Romanian homes. It may sound French, but the real history behind this salad is that it was of Russian origin, properly called Salad Olivier. It was invented in the 1860's by a well known chef, Lucien Olivier. He worked at Moscow's most celebrated restaurant, the Hermitage. You can read the whole story here... it is quite fascinating! So, I am giving the Russians credit for this salad:)!

This type of salad is very common in Romania. It is often made for special occasions and around the holidays. A traditional potato salad that is a bit tangy, but quite delicious. I have to admit that this type of salad should be done with beef, therefore the name boeuf(French). But many people have adapted this salad with ingredients that they have on hand....usually using cheaper cuts of meat. It it is often done with chicken, turkey or ham. This salad has been changed over the years and the Romanians have their own version. It can be quite time consuming, as you have to do a lot of dicing. Feel free to adjust amounts of vegetables/meat....you really can't go wrong with amounts.

If you don't like your salad to be too tangy, decrease amount of pickles... if you like more potatoes, add more potatoes... taste and adjust seasoning as you go along. But once it comes together, it is well worth it. It is often decorated elaborately ...sort of like decorating a cake. You can click here to see a few decorations....it kind of gives you a main idea. Please forgive my lack of a decent decoration. I totally forgot to reserve some boiled vegetables for the decorations...I just had some egg:). I also was not planning on posting this, but I thought some of you might try it.

This salad is normally served with some french bread and can be a meal in itself. You can also serve it as an appetizer....it is fun to make individual servings. Hope you enjoy...

Tip: I love to add some dried onion flakes to the salad when mixing all the ingredients together...I also know that it isn't traditional...but it brings in a ton of flavor.

Note:* in case you would like to make your own homemade mayo, you can click here...HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE.

You will need: this is my own version....it doesn't include boiled parsnips, which are often used.

2 chicken breasts,cooked, diced* (or use beef,turkey,ham,etc)

2 large baking potatoes, cooked,diced

1 cup carrots,boiled,diced

1 1/2 cups diced pickles

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

4-5 ex large eggs, boiled,diced

1 TBS mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 cups mayonnaise( you can get away with cutting down the fat by using a some plain yoghurt or sour cream)

extra ingredients for boiling chicken:

*(if you want to make a stock, use the rib-in type of chicken breast...the ones with the rib bone attached. The bones impart a ton of flavor to the stock.You can then just remove the breast meat to use in the salad. If you don't want to make any stock, just use regular chicken breast. )

1 onion

2 celery stalks

2-3 carrots

1 parsnip (optional)

To decorate:

use parsley, olives, reserved boiled vegetables, egg etc.

Directions:

Important: If you would like to decorate your salad, remember to reserve some vegetables,egg,etc.

1. Boil potatoes in their skins in salted water till fork tender. You can pierce the potatoes before cooking....

2. Boil eggs till hard. Set aside.

Cook Chicken: you can skip this step if you are using leftover chicken, beef, turkey, etc....but you will need to cook the carrots, parsnip( if using) and eggs.

1. Place chicken breasts in a pot with water(sort of like making a soup). Water doesn't have to be exact but you should have plenty(maybe 6-8 cups).
2. Place about 2-3 carrots, a stalk or two of celery and 1 onion. Add some salt ( about 1 TBS kosher salt).
3. Bring to boil and then simmer till carrots are tender and chicken is cooked.
4. Remove chicken and carrots to use for the potato salad. You can reserve the stock for a soup or freeze in small containers to use later in pan sauces, etc.

Assemble Salad:

1. Dice chicken, potatoes, carrots(parsnip too, if you are using), and eggs.
2. Dice pickles and squeeze them a bit to remove some of their juice(this helps so that your salad doesn't become too watery).
3. Place frozen peas in a colander. Place under running warm water to defrost them . Drain completely and add to the rest of the diced ingredients.

4. Add mustard and pepper and 1 cup mayo. You can add the dried onion flakes, if you like.

5. Mix till combined and taste for seasoning.

6. Add more mayo to the mixture until it is tuna salad-like(for a lack of a better term) . You might need the full 2 cups. This depends on preference...use less if you don't want it too creamy or use more if you like it creamier.
7. Place in a nice serving dish and spread a thin layer of mayo...
8. Decorate with reserved vegetables(egg, carrots, peas, pickles, parsley, olives, chopped eggs...).
Since I didn't have too much time to decorate, wasn't planning on posting, and forgot to reserve some vegetables, I kept it rather simple. Actually, it wasn't much of a decoration ....but it tasted delicious!