Joseph Stalin’s Favourite Dishes: The Famous Russian Winter Salad

May 1, 2009

We continue posting the recipes of dishes favoured by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Today we present the famous Russian Winter Salad that was served as one of the starters at Stalin’s famous, or infamous if you consider that some of guests were humiliated and abused there, late night dinners at his official residence outside Moscow where all the members of the ruling Politburo would gather to toast their leader. Absence from these dinners would usually signify two things: a fall from grace or a trip to the torture chambers of the notorious secret police, the NKVD.Despite its name Russian Winter Salad is served all year long. Although simple to prepare it actually needs a bit of effort in selecting and cutting the ingredients into small pieces.

Ingredients (to serve four people): 3-4 medium sized potatoes, 2 medium sized carrots, 3 medium sized gherkins in brine, a can of garden peas in salt, sugar and water, 100 to 150 grams of ham (or cooked beef), mayonnaise, spring onion (or mild onions) and dill and parsley and coriander.

Cook the potatoes in water without peeling them. Carrots should be peeled before boiling. Once ready put aside to cool. (Never cut the potatoes and carrots before cooking. This is the sort of mistake that many chefs in the West make.)

Meanwhile cut the ham (cooked meat) into small pieces. Chop the onions, spring onion, dill and parsley finely.

Peel the cooked potatoes. Cut the potatoes, carrots and gherkins into small pieces.

Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl. Add peas without water but keep some in case the salad would taste too dry. Add mayonnaise to taste. Mix everything together, gently, so as not to make the salad mushy. If the salad is too dry you can add a little bit of water from the can of peas.

Leave the salad in the fridge for a couple of hours and serve cold. Add more mayonnaise if you feel that the salad is not moist enough.

Once you get the hang of it you will be able to prepare a perfect starter for your dinner.

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