Russian Beet Salad “Vinegret”
Vinegret is a classic Russian salad made with beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles and sauerkraut. Its vibrantly ruby color makes it a beautiful side dish, it’s healthy, delicious and can be made in advance.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 85 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium-large beets (cooked and finely chopped)
- 2 medium-large potatoes (cooked and finely chopped)
- 3 medium-large carrots (cooked and finely chopped)
- 3/4–1 cup sauerkraut (drained)
- 6 baby dill pickles (finely chopped)
- 1 small shallot (you can also use 1/4 of a red or yellow onion, finely minced)
- salt (ground black pepper, to taste)
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup sunflower oil (or any oil you prefer)
- 1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
- Cook the beets in boiling water or roast the beets until tender. I prefer to roast beets.Â
- In another pot, place the potatoes and carrots. Cover the vegetables with cold water. Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook just until the carrots and potatoes are both cooked through and you are able to pierce them all the way through with a paring knife. You want to make sure that they are cooked through all the way, but not too much, since they will otherwise fall apart and turn to mush when mixed later on with the rest of the ingredients in the salad.
- Cool the beets, carrots and potatoes until cool enough to handle. I use a paper towel to help remove the skin from the cooked beets (it works like a charand use a butter knife to peel off the skin from the carrots and potatoes.
- Chop the beets, carrots and potatoes finely, so that they are about the same size. Of course, you can chop them larger than I did if you prefer.
- Chop the pickles to be approximately the same size as the beets, carrots and potatoes. Finely mince the shallot or onion, whichever you are using.
- Drain the sauerkraut. If the sauerkraut has really long pieces, you can chop them in half or thirds.
- Mix all the vegetables, including the sauerkraut and pickles in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the sunflower oil and the vinegar. Mix to combine. Store in the refrigerator.
- You can make this salad up to 3 days in advance. You can also add fresh herbs right before serving, such as dill, green onions or parsley.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
Notes
You can adjust the amount of vegetables to your taste preference. I like my vinegret to have a nice briny and tart flavor, so I add lots of pickles, sauerkraut and vinegar. In fact, I would add more of all of them, but try to restrict myself, since I’m not the only one eating this salad. You can add more or less beets or potatoes, for example. It’s totally up to you.