a little of each

(also known as Salade a la Russe)

The mother of an Iranian friend in college brought prepared dishes up to her daughter frequently. This hearty potato salad was one of my favorites. It is important to dice everything very small and in fairly uniform sizes. This salad was invented in Germany by Tsar Nicholas II’s chef after he escaped the Revolution.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken breast, poached, boned, skinned and cubed (about 2 cups)

1 ¼ lb potatoes, peeled, boiled and cubed

1 large dill pickle, cut into small dice

1 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked

1 small to medium onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced and cooked

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 hard-boiled egg, sliced (reserve)

1 Tbl capers

¾ cup reduced fat mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

1 Tbl prepared mustard, Dijon preferred

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Salt

¼ tsp pepper or more to taste

½ tsp dried dill, OR 1 tsp snipped fresh dill

parsley sprigs

1 large ripe tomato, cut into small wedges

Boston lettuce leaves, washed and dried, or spun in a salad spinner (optional)

Paprika (optional)

Directions

Drain the chicken and all vegetables well. Combine the cooked chicken breast, potatoes, carrots, peas, chopped onion and dill pickle, hard-boiled eggs and capers. Fold slightly to mix. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and dill. Pour over the salad and mix gently but thoroughly. Chill well. Serve either mounded on the lettuce leaves on a large platter or simply place the salad in a large serving bowl. Garnish with sliced hard-boiled egg, tomato wedges and parsley sprigs. Sprinkle with a little paprika.