Ingredients
Base
- 800 gwaxy potatoes
- 3carrots
- 4eggs
To add
- 4large pickled cucumbers, diced
- 200 gcooked peas
- 1onion, very finely chopped
- 300 gcooked sausage or ham, diced
- or 300 g pickled herring fillets, diced
Dressing
- 300 gmayonnaise
- 150 gsour cream
- 2 tbspmustard
- 2 tbsppickle brine
- salt and black pepper
To finish
- a handful of dill, chopped
- 1hard-boiled egg, sliced, to decorate
To serve
- dark rye bread
- as part of a festive table
Directions
- Use waxy potatoes, since floury ones fall apart in the bowl. Wash them but do not peel them before boiling. Boiling them in their skins stops them taking on water. Put them in cold salted water and bring them to the boil. Simmer them gently rather than boiling them hard. Cook them for about twenty minutes. Test with a skewer, which should meet slight resistance at the centre.
- Boil the carrots whole, also in their skins. They take about fifteen minutes. Drain the potatoes and carrots and let them cool. Peel them once cool enough to handle. Warm vegetables make the mayonnaise split and go oily. Give them at least two hours in the fridge.
- Boil the eggs for nine minutes for a firm yolk. Drain them and plunge them into cold water. Peel them and then chill them. Cut the potatoes into cubes of about one centimetre. Cut the carrots to the same size. Dice the pickles, sausage and eggs to match. Take your time over this rather than rushing it. Chop the onion as finely as you possibly can. Rinse it in cold water in a sieve.
- Squeeze it dry in a clean cloth. Rinsing takes out the raw sulphurous edge. Squeeze the diced pickles gently to remove excess brine. Keep two spoonfuls of the brine for the dressing. Wet pickles make the whole salad watery within hours. Whisk the mayonnaise with the sour cream. Add the mustard and the reserved pickle brine.
- Season it with salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste it: it should be sharper than seems right. Combining everything is done gently. Put all the diced ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cooked peas to the bowl. Pour the dressing over everything.
- Fold it through with a spatula rather than stirring hard. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least three hours. Cold food tastes less seasoned than warm food. Taste it after chilling and adjust the salt and pepper. Add a spoonful more sour cream if it has gone stiff. Serving it is done properly cold.
- Turn it into a serving dish and smooth the top. Scatter chopped dill generously over it. Serve dark rye bread alongside. It keeps for three days in the fridge, covered.
Technique
- Chill the cooked vegetables completely, since warm ones make the mayonnaise split.
- Squeeze the pickles and rinse the onion, or the salad turns watery and harsh.
- Fold rather than stir, as stirring hard breaks the potato into mash.
Substitutions
- Pickled herring in place of sausage, which is the more Latvian version.
- Crème fraîche in place of sour cream.
Variations
- Made with herring, as the classic Latvian version.
- With beetroot added, which turns it pink.
- Vegetarian, with the meat and fish left out.
History
Potato salad with peas, pickles and sausage in mayonnaise, the Baltic version of the Russian olivier salad, served at every festive table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rasols?
Rasols is a salad & side from Latvia: festive potato salad with herring or sausage, sour cream. Potato salad with peas, pickles and sausage in mayonnaise, the Baltic version of the Russian olivier salad, served at every festive table.
How long does Rasols take to make?
Rasols takes 40 min plus 3 hours chilling of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Rasols?
Yes, within limits. Pickled herring in place of sausage, which is the more Latvian version. Crème fraîche in place of sour cream.
What is the most important thing to get right in Rasols?
Use waxy potatoes, since floury ones fall apart in the bowl. Wash them but do not peel them before boiling. Boiling them in their skins stops them taking on water. Put them in cold salted water and bring them to the boil. Simmer them gently rather than boiling them hard. Cook them for about twenty minutes. Test with a skewer, which should meet slight resistance at the centre.
