Olivier Salad

About This Recipe

Olivier Salad is Russia's answer to potato salad, and no New Year's table is complete without it. Originally created in the 1860s by Belgian chef Lucien Olivier at his Moscow restaurant, the home version layers diced potatoes, boiled chicken or bologna, carrots, peas, pickled cucumbers, and eggs in a generous coating of mayonnaise.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 4 mediumpotatoes, boiled and diced
• 3 mediumcarrots, boiled and diced
• 4 pcseggs, hard-boiled and diced
• 300 gcooked chicken breast or bologna sausage, diced
• 4 pcsdill pickles, diced
• 200 gfrozen peas, thawed
• 1 mediumwhite onion, very finely diced
• 200 gmayonnaise
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and cool vegetables

   Boil potatoes and carrots separately until just tender. Hard-boil eggs for 10 minutes. Let everything cool completely before dicing.

2. 2

   Dice all ingredients

   Dice potatoes, carrots, eggs, chicken, and pickles into uniform 1 cm cubes. Uniform cutting ensures an even bite each time.

3. 3

   Mix dressing

   Stir mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

4. 4

   Combine

   In a large bowl, combine all diced ingredients, peas, and onion. Pour dressing over and fold gently until everything is evenly coated.

5. 5

   Chill and serve

   Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Garnish with parsley before serving. Serve cold.

Variations

• •

  Use canned tuna instead of chicken for a budget version.

• •

  Add diced apple for a subtle sweetness.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate covered up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions