Ensalada Rusa (Pink Potato Salad)

This recipe is featured in America the Barbecue, a celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary and its unique culinary history.

The best potato salad is pink. This pink potato salad can be found on many Haitian and Dominican tables, as it is a staple in their culinary landscape. Whether you know it as ensalada rusa or salade russe, this potato salad gets its vibrant magenta hue from the cooked beets. Building your dressing first is a good tip for ensuring all flavors will be well-incorporated and equally distributed throughout your salad. Be sure to decrease your flame to a low simmer while cooking your potatoes to keep them tender and intact. This potato salad is best made the night before and can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to four days.

Recipe information

• Total Time

  1 hour (plus chilling)

• Yield

  4–6 servings

Total Time

1 hour (plus chilling)

Yield

4–6 servings

Ingredients

1

½

2

1

2

1

1½

1½

5

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Mix together 1 medium red onion, finely chopped, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. sugar in a large bowl. Cover and chill.

   Step 2

   Cook 1½ lb. beets (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into ½" pieces, in 6 cups boiling water in a medium pot over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low. As soon as water is no longer bubbling, add 1½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into 1" pieces. Increase heat to medium and cook until fork-tender, 10–12 minutes.

   Step 3

   Add 5 oz. frozen peas and carrots (about 1 cup) and drain. Let vegetables cool slightly, then transfer to bowl with onion mixture and gently fold until vegetables are coated. Cover potato salad and chill at least 1 hour or, preferably, up to 12 hours. Mix again just before serving.

Step 1

Mix together 1 medium red onion, finely chopped, ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. sugar in a large bowl. Cover and chill.

Step 2

Cook 1½ lb. beets (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into ½" pieces, in 6 cups boiling water in a medium pot over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low. As soon as water is no longer bubbling, add 1½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into 1" pieces. Increase heat to medium and cook until fork-tender, 10–12 minutes.

Step 3

Add 5 oz. frozen peas and carrots (about 1 cup) and drain. Let vegetables cool slightly, then transfer to bowl with onion mixture and gently fold until vegetables are coated. Cover potato salad and chill at least 1 hour or, preferably, up to 12 hours. Mix again just before serving.

Recipe notes