Russian Beet Salad

A Beet-Lovers Treat! A simply, delicious Russian Beet Salad with a garlicky, creamy dressing and such a gorgeous color!

As usual, there’s a back-story to most recipes - what a great way to keep a journal, right! I don’t know what sparked the interest in my conservative father’s WW II vet mind, influenced by the Cold War - it seemed something of a paradox, his interest in things Russian. It started with a class in Russian….of all things. What a great date night each week for my mother and father, to study Russian with Mr. Nikotin at the local high school! Eventually, at the dinner table, we were all taught smidgens of the language including, “Edyot schneg” (It’s snowing) and using courtesies at the table like “Pajalsta” (Please) and “Spaseeba” (Thank you). The puppy that arrived from Santa on Christmas was named “Koshka”, which means cat - we liked the sound of it better than the word for dog, “Sabaka”. And he was a Miniature Siberian Husky. So that all worked.

Of course, a grand tour of Russia eventually ensued, where my parents were hosted by a Russian family with a similar interest in very different foreigners - a mini-exchange in diplomacy. And then a project instigated by my father to collect coats, hats, clothing, and accessories to fill a shipping container, then sent to those in need in Russia.

It was on the exchange visit to the US by the Russian friends that they visited our home in Utah. What an education the abundance of neat and tidy yards and private property were. And the stores and shopping opportunities! Costco and Target were even a shock to my senses when returning to visit while living overseas. The bounty, the variety, seemed almost obscene in contrast to the limited variety and availability of stock in the groceries of developing countries. It was something of an embarrassment when visiting the grocery store with my young children while visiting the states from Tunisia, as they gasped with “OOOs” and “Ahhs” at the sight of the variety of cheeses, the abundance of packages of cookies, the neatly packed meats. My mother exclaimed that we had been away too long. But for us, it was as entertaining as visiting Disneyland! (which we never did, our poor deprived children having to travel the world instead)

Back to the visit by the Russian friends. While at my parents’ home, Mrs. Russian friend (I’ve forgotten her name) prepared a Russian meal one night to my delight as I was able to observe, take notes and sample. This beet salad was among the dishes served alongside what she called pork cutlets, but were more of a breaded ground pork patty. The meal won me over with the sharp garlic flavors and to my western palette, the unusual combination of ingredients

More results of the Russian class: I went on to study Russian in college but soon concluded that one would rarely develop fluency until being forced to use a language by being plopped in an environment where they couldn’t communicate without. Case in point: French is my go-to foreign language. Living in Tunisia, where it was either Arabic or French, and trying to communicate with my headstrong Tunisian maid, French eventually clicked for me, at least “maid-French” as my French-speaking husband put it.

My brother, however, ran with the language and majored in Russian. To make sure it stuck, he lived and worked in Russia accompanied by his family for a few years. His wife introduced to us a simple mayo and garlic-dressed recipe that has become an extended family favorite. My daughter, for lack of an easier name, called it “Everyday, Everyday” as in “I could eat this everyday”, which is how we identify it. (To be posted on my blog soon - even easier than the salad but where the beets reign, cheese takes their place!)

My observation being, that among Russian recipes are several that feature the combination of mayonnaise with lots of garlic! To think that a simple date night language study would have such results!

Russian Beet Salad

3 - 4 large beets, peeled and cut into quarters

1 cup mayonnaise or half mayo and half sour cream or yogurt

1/2 cup finely chopped English cucumber with skin

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

coarsely cracked black pepper

salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

6 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

-Place the beets in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a sprinkle of salt and bring to a boil. (Check from time to time to make sure water has not boiled away - add more water if necessary.) Cook until the beets can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from heat, drain and set beets aside until cooled to room temperature then grate beets on large grate size of grater. (May be done ahead.)

-In a medium bowl stir together until smooth, the mayonnaise/sour cream, garlic, dried dill, cucumbers, sugar, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste. Drain any liquid that has seeped off of beets and toss the beets in the dressing, making sure to get them evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

-Mound salad on lettuce leaves in a shallow serving bowl and garnish with chopped or slivered green onions, dill fronds, chopped walnuts, etc.

Grate cooled beets coarsely.

Chop vegetable ingredients for salad.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**If you prefer you can roast your beets whole, without peeling in a 400 degree oven. Line a baking sheet with foil and roast beets about 30 - 40 minutes. The beets are done when you can pierce them easily with a sharp knife. Set them aside to cool then peel off the skins and grate them, as described above.

**You can use other kinds of beets or a medley of golden, red and pink beets if desired.

**Mix it up by adding diced celery or dill pickles for more crunch. Hard-boiled eggs, sliced are also nice to add to the garnish.

**Beet salad is a nice accompaniment to anything you would pair with potato salad: hamburgers, hotdogs, grilled chicken, salmon and steak, etc.