This Potato Salad is a traditional Eastern European dish, in Poland most often served on holidays like Christmas and Easter. Because it’s packed with protein and veggies it’s a whole meal on its own.
This Polish Potato Salad, called salatka jarzynowa, is a very popular Polish dish. It’s made with a combination of cooked and canned veggies and eggs making it a complete meal.
Though traditional in Poland, this potato salad has origins in Russia. It’s also known as Olivier salad as it was created by a French and Belgian chef named Lucien Olivier. Given the intertwined history of Russia and the rest of Eastern Europe, it’s no wonder this salad is a popular dish in many Eastern European countries, each with its slight variation.
This recipe for Olivier Salad is tweaked to reflect the Polish version as it doesn’t contain meat. So perhaps I can call this the Vegetarian Olivier Salad instead of Polish or Russian Potato Salad?
Either way, it’s delicious and simple to make. The hardest part about this potato salad is all the chopping but thankfully it’s done after cooking the veggies which makes it a breeze.
Preparing Polish Potato Salad
Ingredients
Fresh Ingredients
Potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe. Yellow potatoes are a bit more sweet and softer so overcooking them will make them mushy quickly. White flesh potatoes are a bit more starchy and will hold their shape better so feel free to use white flesh potatoes instead.
Carrot: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot. Carrots are rich in potassium, fiber and vitamin C and antioxidants.
Parsley: Parsley is a dark green herb that is used as a garnish or as a flavouring. The two varieties that are most common are flat-leaf and curly parsley. They are very similar in flavour however their leaves and texture are different. As the names suggest, flat-leaf parsley has flat leaves that are very similar to cilantro, whereas curly parsley has rougher and curly-looking leaves. Both are very rich in vitamins C and K and antioxidants, among other nutrients.
Egg: Eggs are laid by many different animals but chicken eggs are what we use in this recipe. Eggs provide protein, fat and many other nutrients and therefore are a healthy part of our diet. Here they are used as a binder.
Pantry
Peas: The pea is a legume used in cooking all over the world. They are a cool season plant that produces pods which are harvested and hulled to extract the pea that is consumed. Peas are high in protein, vitamins C and K, magenese and Thiamine, among others. Fresh peas will be the highest source of protein, followed by frozen then canned, although this difference is not significant.
Sour pickles: Made using saltwater brine to ferment the cucumbers. Sour pickled are often made with the addition of garlic, horseradish, dill and other pickling spices these pickles have a very deep
sour flavour with a kick of saltiness.Mayonnaise: Mayo is made from eggs, oil and usually vinegar or lemon. When mixing these at high speeds you will get a white creamy texture like you find in a jar on the grocery store shelves.
Whole grain mustard: Whole grain mustard is simply mustard that has not been fully ground to a paste leaving whole grains intact.
How to Make Polish Potato Salad
This recipe for Polish/Russian/Olivier Potato Salad is a simple one. A little chopping and stirring and you’ll have an Olivier salad copy-cat in no time.
Step 1: Boil the ingredients
The part that takes the longest is cooking the veggies. So we’ll start there. You can cook the potatoes and carrots in the same pot and there is no need to peel them. Simply wash them first, place in the pot filled with water and cook until cooked through, roughly 20 minutes.
The egg can also be cooked with potatoes and carrots if you want. Just place it in the pot once the water is boiling and remove it from the pot.
TIP: If you placed a cold egg directly from the fridge into the pot you can remove it after 9 minutes. If the egg was brought to room temperature first, then 8 minutes will suffice.
You can of course also cook it in a separate pot.
Once the egg and veggies are cooked remove them from the water to let them cool.
Step 2: Prep the cold ingredients
If you are using canned peas, open the can and drain it. Add half a cup of peas to a medium bowl.
Next, wash and chop the parsley and add it to the peas.
Then, finely dice the pickles and add to the bowl.
Step 3: Finish the potato salad
Once the cooked veggies have cooled enough to handle, peel the carrot and potatoes. You can do this by simply scraping the peel off with a paring knife.
Next, dice the veggies into a small dice, roughly 1/8-inch.
Lastly, dice the egg and add everything to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
To the bowl add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper and gently stir everything using a silicone spatula making sure not to smash the ingredients.
Substitutions
Peas: If you prefer to use frozen peas they are a great substitute. They have a slightly different flavour but both work really well in this potato salad. If you are using frozen peas, add them to a small pot with water and cook for 4-5 minutes while the other veggies and eggs are cooking.
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Serving Polish Potato Salad
I highly recommend you make this potato salad a day ahead or so as it tastes better after all the flavours have a chance to marry.
The Polish name salatka jarzynowa means vegetable salad so as that name indicates it’s full of healthy ingredients, not just potatoes.
This delicious variation of Olivier Salad is high in protein, vitamins, fats, and minerals making it the perfect snack or meal all on its own. Serve on its own or as a side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Polish Potato Salad (salatka jarzynowa) vegetarian?
Yes, traditional Polish Potato salad is vegetarian. Russian Potato Salad or Olivier Salad typically contains ham. Somehow this did not make it into the Polish dish which is very surprising since we love our meat.Â
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.Â
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Polish Potato Salad (Salatka Jarzynowa) Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 small pot
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes (approx. 2 large)
- 3 oz large carrot (approx. 1 large)
- ½ cup canned peas
- 1 egg
- â…“ cup Sour pickles (approx. 2 small pickles)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp grainy mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
- Start by boiling the potatoes and carrots in a pot with water. You don’t need to peel them just wash them. Once cooked, remove from the water to cool.1 lb potatoes, 3 oz large carrot
- Next, cook an egg until the yolk is set. Set a small pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling add the egg and cook for 8 minutes. Once cooked, move to a bowl with cold water to cool.1 egg
- Now it’s time to dice the pickles and chop the parsley.1/3 cup Sour pickles
- Open the can of peas and drain it.½ cup canned peas
- Once the potatoes, carrots and egg are cooked and have cooled, dice them into 1/8-inch cubes.
- Finally, wash and chop the fresh parsley.1 tbsp fresh parsley
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and gently toss until well combined. I like to use silicone spatulas for this as they are more gentle on the veggies.1 lb potatoes, 3 oz large carrot, ½ cup canned peas, 1 egg, 1/3 cup Sour pickles, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp grainy mustard, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, ¼ tsp pepper
- Serve on its own or as a side. I recommend you make it ahead as it tastes better the next day.
