It was warm today. By warm, I mean 61 degrees (16 Celsius) without a single cloud in the sky. The warmest months in San Francisco are September and October. So spring and summer days when the sky is brilliantly blue and relatively warm are sacred and must be taken advantage of. I assembled a quick lunch, mostly consisting of leftovers – salmon salad sandwiches, candied cashews, an orange, and this potato salad. Then Cory and I headed to a nearby park on Haight street and basked in the sun for two hours, nibbling on food, reading books, and people watching. In typical Rose fashion, I “basked in the sun” in black boots, a black sweater, and a scarf. Clearly, I haven’t changed much since my days as a teenage goth. Well, except I no longer dab my face with white powder, black lipstick, or write bad poetry. Whew, glad that part of my life is over.
Though Salad Olivieh is a Persian potato salad, the actual origin of the dish is thought to be Russian. I turned my nose up to potato salad for most of my life, but I now have a soft spot for it. I loved the contrasting flavors in this dish, the sourness from the lemons, saltiness from the pickles, and the sweetness from the peas. Definitely a new summer favorite.
Salad Olivieh
(adapted from Turmeric and Saffron)
Print this recipe6 large potatoes (boiled, peeled, and chopped into bite-sized pieces)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups-2 cups mayonnaise
4 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
3 dill pickles, chopped
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup frozen chopped carrots
salt & pepper, to taste
juice of 1-2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oilIn a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Season to taste. Fold in the potatoes, chicken breasts, eggs, pickles, peas, and carrots. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Optionally, garnish with extra vegetables.
Serves 6-8
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Tags: easy, gluten-free, persian, salad, side dish
I love any kind of potato salad, but this is the one I make on holidays. I basically do what you said, except I boil the vegetables separately and do not buy them frozen. Frozen vegetables always icked me out. And I add fresh dill at the end. I usually skip the lemon and the oil as well.
One of my favourite salads!
Ah yeah, the lemon juice and olive oil seem to be the “Middle eastern touch” to the dish. I think it’s pretty likely that a lot of Iranians would use Persian pickles instead of dill pickles, too. This is pretty similar to the potato salads I remember from growing up, except they never contained lemon juice or olive oil.