The story about this so-called Russian classic is that it was created by a nineteenth-century French chef, M. Olivier, who ran The Hermitage, a famous restaurant in Moscow. It is essentially a potato salad–chicken salad combo and, as such, eminently useful. This recipe outlines the basic salad; you can improvise as you would for Salade Niçoise (page 196).
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 teaspoons mustard, preferably Dijon
1 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (page 602)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 pound cooked chicken or turkey meat, cut into 1/2-inch
3 waxy potatoes, boiled until tender, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 hard-cooked eggs (page 338), shelled and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or dill leaves
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk the mustard, mayonnaise, and lemon juice together. Toss with the chicken, potatoes, and onion. Season with salt and pepper, then gently stir in the eggs.
Step 2
Chill if you like (the salad will keep well for a few hours), garnish with parsley or dill, and serve.
The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.
MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
