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Bring oodles of color, texture, and flavor to the dinner table with our beet and potato salad (rosolje) recipe, and prepare to be charmed by the delights of this decadent beet and potato salad; one of Estonia’s most beloved dishes.
Rosolje Recipe
The Baltics and Eastern Europe know how to do honest and hearty cold salads that pack plenty of flavor, and rosolje is no exception. On first glance, you might be led to believe its glorious pink color makes for a dish that is more style over substance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The sweetness of the beetroot, the saltiness of the herring, and the earthiness of the potato are just some of the many flavors that come together wonderfully in this salad, enveloped within a thick, creamy texture that gives the tastebuds plenty to sing and dance about.
What is Rosolje?
Originating from Estonian cuisine, rosolje is a traditional salad that brings both sweet and savory flavors to the fold. While the recipe can vary from household to household, rosolje always contains beetroot, hence its pink or purple color, and potato.
You can draw close comparisons in terms of texture to the likes of Olivier salad and other potato salads, and the likes of Seledka Pod Shuboi (Herring Under Fur Coat Salad) when it comes to the ingredients used.
Simple to make and served cold, while rosolje itself is Estonian, you will find variations of this salad in other Baltic and Northern European cuisines, including Finnish cuisine and Latvian cuisine.
Ingredients
To make our rosolje beet and potato salad recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Beetroot – 500 grams (1.1 lb) beetroots (we used pre-cooked beetroot)
- Red Onion – 1 medium red onion
- Pickles – 100 grams (3.5 oz)
- Potatoes – 500 grams (1.1 lb)
- Green Apple – 1 green apple (we used Granny Smith)
- Sour Cream – 100 ml (0.4 cups)
- Mayonnaise – 100 ml (0.4 cups)
- Mustard – 1 tbsp
- Horseradish – 1 tbsp
- Herring – 260 grams (10 oz)
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Eggs – 3 medium eggs
- Parsley – for decoration on the top, optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Cook the potatoes and eggs. If you’re not using pre-cooked beets, you’ll need to boil the beets as well.
In a medium pot, add the potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches or so. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, and boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes.
Set aside the potatoes to cool down before peeling them and chopping them when cold.
Next, make your hard-boiled eggs. In a medium pot, add the eggs and enough water to cover the eggs by 1-2 inches or so. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, and boil for 5 minutes.
Transfer them to a bowl with cold water and let them cool down in cold water for 5 minutes. Afterward, when they’re cold, peel the eggs.
If you’re not using pre-cooked beetroot, add the raw beetroots and enough water to cover the beets by 2 inches or so. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, and boil the potatoes for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
Step 2 – Prep the potatoes, beets, pickles, apple, and herring to be diced. Dice the potatoes, beets, pickles, and the green apple into cubes.
Dice the beets.
Dice the pickles.
Dice the green apple.
Then add the three ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Next, dice the onion and the herring.
Step 3 – Add all the cubed and diced ingredients into a bowl and give everything a good, thorough mix.
Step 4 – In a separate bowl, mix the mayo, mustard, horseradish, sour cream, and salt.
Step 5 – Add the mayo mixture to the bowl of vegetables and mix it well. Once mixed, place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Step 6 – Now chilled, your rosolje is ready to be served! Plate the salad, and top it with the halved hard-boiled eggs and parsley (optional), and get ready to dive in!
If you’ve got plenty of mouths to feed, this is a flavorful and hearty salad with which to do it. Each soft, creamy mouthful is layered with sweet, earthy, salty, sour, and tangy notes, and the inclusion of the hard-boiled egg or a slice of bread gives you a savory base in which to mop up those flavors.
Serve this Estonian classic at any dinner party or gathering, and you are sure to wow them with the beauty and color of this dish. Those deep and delightful pink and purple hues, coated in a creamy translucent sheen that glistens against the light, never fail to get everyone gathered around and admiring your hard work.
This is an excellent salad for spreads, large dinner parties, a side with plenty of mains, and an on-the-go lunch the following day with a slice of bread. It’s sweet, tangy, earthy, savory, and oh-so-very pink!
Rosolje Recipe Card
Beet and Potato Salad (Rosolje)
Ingredients
- Beetroot – 500 grams (1.1 lb) beetroots (we used pre-cooked beetroot)
- Red Onion – 1 medium red onion
- Pickles – 100 grams (3.5 oz)
- Potatoes – 500 grams (1.1 lb)
- Green Apple – 1 green apple (we used Granny Smith)
- Sour Cream – 100 ml (0.4 cups)
- Mayonnaise – 100 ml (0.4 cups)
- Mustard – 1 tbsp
- Horseradish – 1 tbsp
- Herring – 260 grams (10 oz)
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Eggs – 3 medium eggs
- Parsley – for decoration on the top, optional
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes and beets (if not using pre-cooked beetroot) until fork-tender. In a medium pot, add the potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches or so. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, and boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes. In a separate pot, you can boil the beets using the same process, but it will take 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.
- Next, make hard-boiled eggs. In a medium pot, add the eggs and enough water to cover the eggs by 1-2 inches or so. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat to medium-low and boil for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl with cold water and let them cool down in cold water for 5 minutes. Afterward, when they’re cold, peel the eggs.
- Peel the potatoes, beets, and apple. Then, dice the potatoes, beets, pickles, apple, and herring. Add them all to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the mayo, mustard, horseradish, sour cream, and salt.
- Add the mayo mixture to the bowl of vegetables and mix it well. Once mixed, place it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Now chilled, your rosolje is ready to be served! Plate the salad, and top it with the halved hard-boiled eggs and parsley (optional), and get ready to dive in!
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Contributor: Efimia is a humble home cook and retired teacher, from Moldova, who loves to feed her family and friends with dishes from across Europe she has been making for over 40 years.