Olivier Salad – Russian Potato Salad
Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)– this fancy potato salad is traditionally made for holidays in all Slavic families. It is made of potatoes, eggs, carrots, sausage, pickles, peas, and mayo. Using smoked sausage in this salad ups the flavor and makes it all that much more delicious!
Every Slavic family has their own and sometimes unique version of the Olivier Salad, it’s the variation and the amount of each ingredient that makes it unique from family to family. As a true Ukrainian, I too have a favorite version of this classic Russian Potato Salad.
Variations of Olivier Salad
- Some people will use naturally fermented pickles in their Russian Potato Salad, while others like their Olivier Salad with regular store bought vinegar brined pickles.
- Some like it with canned peas, while others will use fresh frozen peas.
- Bologna is the most traditional choice of meat, but some people use cooked chicken or beef.
The best way to make Olivier
In my family, my mom has always made it with smoked salami type sausage that we usually get from the Russian store. That is how I make it as well. We usually add less of the smoked sausage than we would have of the bologna as the sausage has more of a more pronounced flavor and little goes a long way. I hope this Easter you will try my version of the Russian Potato Salad or Olivier and enjoy it as much as we do!
Olivier Salad – Russian Potato Salad
Makes about 10 cups
Ingredients for Olivier Salad – Russian Potato Salad:
How to make Olivier Salad – Russian Potato Salad
1. First off, you will want to clean, cook and peel all the vegetables, then dice them into small cubes.
2. Then you will cook, peel and dice the eggs.
3. Next, come the sausage and the pickles – they too will need to be diced.
4. Once that is done, the parsley, dill, and scallions will need to be chopped.
5. Drain the peas well.
6. Combine all ingredients with the mayo, salt, oil, and black pepper in a bowl until combined. And you’re all done!
Note: Refrigerate until ready to serve!
Other Russian Recipes to Try –
- Russian Napoleon Cake – no other Napoleon comes close to this one. True winner!
- Chocolate Kiev Cake – one of the most popular cakes on this site!
Olivier Salad – Russian Potato Salad
Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)- this fancy potato salad is traditionally made for holidays in all Slavic families. It is made of potatoes, eggs, carrots, sausage, pickles, peas, and mayo. Using smoked sausage in this salad ups the flavor and makes it all that much more delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 medium potatoes about 3 cups, cooked with skins on, peeled, then diced
- 3 medium carrot about 1.5 cups, cooked with skins on, peeled, then diced
- 8 eggs cooked, peeled, diced to ¼” cubes
- 3 cup smoked salami type sausage diced to ¼” cubes
- 1 cup peas frozen or canned
- 1 1/2 cup pickles naturally fermented or store bought, diced to ¼” cubes (use less if your pickles are more sour)
- ½ cup scallions about 4 scallions, chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black ground pepper
Instructions
-
Clean potatoes & carrots with a brush and place them in a pot. Cover with water and boil over medium heat until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork but still have a bit of resistance, about 20-25 minutes from the time the water comes to a boil. Do not overcook.
Once cooked, drain the water and allow the vegetables to cool completely. Putting them in the freezer for about 15 minutes before cutting will help them retain the shape better. Do not freeze them though.
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Cook eggs in a pot covered with water for 5 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Drain the water, cover with cold water and allow to cool completely, then peel the eggs. Set aside.
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While the vegetables are cooking and cooling dice the polish sausage & pickles. Chop the scallions, parsley & dill. Set aside.
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Once the potatoes, carrots and eggs have cooled down completely, dice them into small cubes ( about ¼”).
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Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with 2 cups mayo, 1 tsp salt & 2 tsp pepper, and mix until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust the amount of mayo first and then the seasoning.
Recipe Notes
To cook Potatoes & Carrots in an Instant Pot: .
Add 1 cup of water to the pot of the Instant Pot. Set a steam basket on top and place potatoes and the carrots on top.
Set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure and cook at High Pressure for 16 minutes with the steam release valve set to "seal".
"Quick Release" the steam, check the carrots with a toothpick and if the toothpick goes in easily, then remove the carrots.
Lock the lid and turn the steam valve to "seal" again and pressure cook for another 3-4 minutes total.
"Quick release" the steam, unlock the lid and remove the potatoes to cool completely.
How to Make Hardboiled Eggs in an Instant Pot:.
Add 1 cup of water to the pot, set the steam basket over the water and add the eggs.
Lock the lid, with the steam valve set to "seal".
Set Instant Pot to "Manual Pressure" and cook on "low" pressure for 5 minutes. Once the alarm beeps, allow to sit for another 5 minutes, before "quick releasing" the steam and removing the eggs to an ice cold bath to stop the cooking and to cool the eggs.
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Marina | Let the Baking Begin
We love this potato salad; I’ve used your recipe 3 times now. My mom had a friend who made it this way and I thought it was too weird when I was kid. (She also spread it out on an oval plate, frosted the top with mayo and decorated it with cooked veggies.) I wish I could go back and give her a big hug now.
Hello,
Your version sounds really yummy, but I don’t understand where you would use the oil. Do you mix it with the mayo, then add to the salad?
Thanks!
Hi Marina, yes the oil is part of the dressing for the salad. You can either mix it with mayo and then add it to the salad, or just drizzle over the salad and mix.
I am making this now for Easter tomorrow, it is so similar to my mother’s recipe. She uses chicken in place of the sausage but the rest is identical. Our ‘secret’ is to make it a day or 2 before to let the flavors come together.
I’m confused about the sausage. At first it says salami type sausage and then it says polish sausage. Hope this isn’t a silly question, but exactly what kind of sausage do you use? I’m not familiar with the recipe, so I’m unsure about the sausage but it sounds delicious.
I use sausage from the Russian shores, such as Moskovskaya (smoked dry sausage), but you can use polish sausage or any sausage at all that you would like to eat.
Naturally fermented pickles? Are these sweet pickles or dill pickles? I make both so I am not sure what to put in this salad.
Naturally fermented pickles are made by leaving the cucumbers in salted water until they go sour. Dill pickles are typically made with vinegar as the souring agent. Both will work, but naturally fermented pickles will be better since they don’t have any sweetness to them.
The peas be frozen when their Mixtown or are they to be cooked
I have used both frozen and canned (cooked) with successful results. It really depends on your preference. Try both ways and see which one you prefer best.
Marina! Good to hear from you. Thank you for sharing the recipe of all-time favorite salad. Blessings to you and your family this Holly season.
Thank you Lena for your kind words!
I accept your blessings as well as wishing your family the same!
Марина, как название калбасы которую ты используешь? Надеюсь твоя доченька в скорейшем времени поправиться!
Да, московская хороша в этом салате, но если у меня есть сервилат то сервилат тоже не плохо (я обычно беру тот который на-пополам из говядины и вроде свинины или курицы, сейчас не могу вспомнить) 🙂
Я тоже надеюсь что скоро все уладится… поскорей бы уже….
Forgot to add — keeping your daughter in prayers!
Thank you so much Tatyana, appreciate it a lot!
Aliv’ye — yum! Thank you for sharing your version. When you say salami-type, do you mean like Moskovskaya?
you’re welcome Tatyana, thank you for commenting! Yes, Moskovskaya or Servilat (beef & I can’t remember if it’s combined with chicken or pork) are both good for our taste 🙂
This is literally the best potato salad ever! American potato salads can’t compare, but maybe I am being biased 🙂 I still can’t get over how picture perfect all of your photos are, good job!
Right? I think we should help the world and spread the world about this salad because I think they’re missing out 😀
Thank you about the pictures… I have tried taking pictures of this salad twice before this and I don’t know why I just couldn’t figure it out, so it never made it to the blog… These are think are ok though 🙂
Finally, someone who makes it just like I do!! My exact recipe!! The secrets are frozen peas (no canned.. pleasee!!) and scallions and dill!! That makes all the difference in yumminess , and also i always add at least a tablespoon of vinegar. Good job on your olivye. I bet u get raves in yours because i sure do, and so did my mom and grandma
Are you sure we aren’t related? )))) I think the biggest thing is the scallions and fresh dill, it just completely transforms this salad 🙂 My mom also adds the vinegar, but I just add a bit more of the of the pickles for the sourness… and I do like it with naturally fermented pickles better, but since most of the time I don’t have them I just go with the store bought.