Vinaigrette salad is a beet and sauerkraut based recipe that is a staple dish at any Russian gathering. I especially love this recipe because it is naturally vegan, healthy and packed full of nutrients. The star of this recipe is the beet however, having delicious homemade sauerkraut is just as important. Vinaigrette salad, like many other Russian dishes, varies across households. My grandmother likes to leave out the carrots, but I like the extra vegetables so I’ll add them along with the potatoes, onion and pickles. You can also add peas if you’re a fan, I didn’t have any on hand so I went without. The best part about this recipe is that it tastes even better the next day.
This recipe does require a bit of prep time, the majority of the work is in cooking and chopping the vegetables. I prefer boiling my beets since I’m already boiling the other vegetables. However, some people prefer to bake the beets in the oven for 40 min.
In a medium pot boil the beets (skin on) for an hour, or until easily pierced with a knife. In a separate pot boil potatoes and carrots for 30-40 min, or until easily pierced with a knife.
Drain all the vegetables and let them cool to room temp. Peel the skin off all vegetables, and dice beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, and onion. Make sure to dice everything equal size, I prefer to use the Vidalia Chop Wizard Pro Max to fasten the process.
Place diced beets in a separate bowl and add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil (or olive oil).
Add diced beets to the rest of the ingredients (carrots, potatoes, onion, pickles and sauerkraut) and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of sunflower oil or olive. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
