Classic Russian vinaigrette salad (Винегрет) with roasted beets, dressed in simple extra virgin olive oil. This vibrant root-vegetable salad is a healthy comfort food, perfect all year round!
I’m back with beets again! 🙂
On my last beet recipe, I learned that I’m not the only one who loves beets! (Sometimes, I sure do feel that way!)
Anyway, since many of us love this beautiful ruby red root vegetable, I thought I’ll share another favorite salad from my childhood. It’s a classic Russian vinaigrette salad, that’s made of beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, and sometimes sauerkraut. Loaded with fresh parsley and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, this root vegetable salad is healthy, delicious and absolutely gorgeous. This one is a staple in Russian cuisine!
It might seem like time-consuming process to make this salad, but all the efforts are well worth it. The salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, and it gets better and better over time.
To me, roasting the beets is the most effortless and delicious way to bring out the sweet flavors. Simply wrap the whole beet in a foil, and roast for about forty minutes, until it’s fork tender. You can throw it in the oven when you’re making a casserole or something (if you’re baking something at lower temp, it’ll just take a bit longer for beets to cook through.)
Just like in my potato salad, I like to dice the potatoes and carrots before cooking. It’s easy and no-mess method. Oh here is a quick tip: to prevent the potato cubes from falling apart add a tiny bit of vinegar in the water. The potatoes come out perfectly in shape without getting mushy.
Typically, this salad also includes sauerkraut, but I don’t put any in mine. The pickles add enough tang, plus the crunchy pickles add a nice texture.
Hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, I’d love to hear your feedback. Cheers!
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Russian Vinaigrette Salad (Винегрет)
Ingredients
- 1 large beet
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more if needed
- 3-4 pickles
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Wrap the beet in a foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender. Once cooked, unwrap, cool until safe to handle and peel. Dice the roasted beet into small cubes.
- Cut the potatoes and carrot into small even cubes. In a large pot filled with water, add the cubed potatoes and carrots. Add vinegar and salt and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and gently boil until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.
- Cut the pickles into small cubes. Chop the parsley.
- In a large bowl, combine cubed beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, and parsley. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and mix until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
This looks so amazing! I’m drooling right now! Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for stopping by and partying with us! I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we can pin and tweet your masterpieces! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you!!
This is an awesome recipe!! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thank you!
I just love vinaigrette! It’s a staple not only in russian cuisine, but in ukrainian too. You just reminded me that I need to make one soon.
You’re so right, Iryna. It’s also very popular in Ukraine. 🙂
This salad is such a gorgeous color, I just want to sit and stare at it! (I don’t like beets.) But then again, I’ve never had them roasted.
Here from Totally Terrific Tuesday.
Yes, the colors are just beautiful! Hope you’ll try roasting the beets. Who knows maybe you’ll like it. 🙂
Oh my goodness! I am sooo excited to see this recipe here in the States! I first tried Russian Salad decades ago when we lived in So Amer where many Russians & Ukranians had immigrated. There it was made with mayo & that’s how I have made it. I often add green peas. Thanks ever so much for sharing.
Yes, green peas are very common in this salad too! I’ve shared this Russian potato salad with mayo a while back too. You might be interested to see it. Thanks for stopping by, Carolyn!
One of my favorite salads! Pinning it!
Yay, glad to hear you love this salad! Thanks, Love!
Yes I can’t wait to give this a try! It looks fantastic 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
That colour! Gorgeous! what pickles have you used? It is gherkins? Pined for later 🙂
Thank you, Ramya! I used kosher dill pickles here.
I still have a few beets in my garden. Guess what they are now destined for? My husband lived in Russia for several years and I know he’ll go crazy over this one…
Oh, that’d be so lovely of you. I’m sure he will enjoy it. Thanks, Lydia!
Oh my gosh, my roommate used to make this alll the time! Love the color of this salad, Shinee!
Thanks, Lisa!