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Vinegret
Beetroot, potato, sauerkraut and pickle salad with sunflower oil
Vinegret is the ruby-coloured salad that sits on almost every Ukrainian New Year and Christmas table, alongside olivier, and fills lunch boxes through the winter. Cooked beetroot, potato and carrot are diced small and tossed with sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers and beans, then dressed with fragrant unrefined sunflower oil, the kind sold by the bottle at markets in Poltava and Kherson. Despite the name there is often no vinegar at all; the sourness comes from the pickles. It is vegan, cheap and keeps for days. Chef's tip: dress the diced beetroot with oil on its own first, then mix in everything else; the oil coats it so the potatoes stay pale and the salad looks like a mosaic rather than all pink.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the vegetables
For the salad
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 3 beetroot in one pan and 3 potatoes and 2 carrots in another, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer over a medium heat: potatoes and carrots for 20–25 minutes, beetroot for 40–50 minutes, until a knife slides into the centre easily.
45 minStep 2: Drain and cool the vegetables completely, then peel. Common mistake: dicing them warm, which makes the potato crumble and the salad mushy; cooled vegetables cut into clean cubes.
Step 3: Dice the beetroot into 1 cm cubes, put it in a large bowl and toss with 4 tbsp unrefined sunflower oil until every piece is glossy.
Step 4: Dice the potatoes and carrots the same size and add them with 7 oz sauerkraut, 3 pickled cucumbers, 5 ½ oz cooked white beans or peas and ½ red onion. Fold together gently.
Step 5: Season with ½ tsp salt, taste and add a little pickle brine if you want it sharper. Scatter with 1 tbsp dill. Leave 30 minutes for the flavours to mingle; it keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vinegret take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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