45 MINSSIDESALADVEGETARIANOVERNIGHT

Tradičný Zemiakový Šalát (Majonézový)

Classic Central European cold holiday potato salad with root vegetables, sweet peas, pickled gherkins, boiled eggs, and seasoned mayonnaise.

YIELD6–8 Portions (~1.6 kg Total Yield)
PREP30 mins
COOK30 mins (+ overnight chill)

Ingredients

Base Salad Vegetables

  • 1 kg Waxy Yukon Gold or red-skin potatoes (varný typ A/B), unpeeled
  • 200 g Carrots (2 medium), peeled
  • 150 g Parsnip or parsley root, peeled
  • 100 g Celeriac (zeler), peeled
  • 150 g Sweet-sour pickled gherkins (kyslé uhorky), finely diced
  • 150 g Sweet green peas (canned or blanched frozen)
  • 1 Small red or yellow onion, very finely minced
  • 4 Hard-boiled large eggs, peeled and diced

Dressing & Seasoning

  • 250 g Quality whole-egg mayonnaise
  • 100 g Sour cream (smotana) or full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 30 g Traditional yellow mustard (plnotučná horčica)
  • 50 ml–70 ml Pickled gherkin brine (uhorkový nálev)
  • 10 g Powdered sugar or superfine sugar
  • 8 g Fine sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)

Method

  1. Boil Potatoes & Root Veg: Boil unpeeled potatoes in well-salted water until fork-tender (20–25 minutes). In a separate pot, boil peeled carrots, parsnip, and celeriac in salted water until tender but firm (12–15 minutes). Drain completely and cool to room temperature.
  2. Blanch Onions: Place minced onion in a fine sieve and pour boiling water over it, then immediately rinse with cold water to remove harsh raw sulfur bites.
  3. Dice & Grid: Peel cooled potatoes. Pass potatoes, root vegetables, and hard-boiled eggs through a wire potato salad grid (or knife-dice into neat 8 mm cubes) into a large bowl.
  4. Add Pickles & Peas: Add diced pickled gherkins, blanched minced onion, and sweet peas to the bowl.
  5. Emulsify Dressing: In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, sugar, pickle brine, sea salt, and black pepper until completely smooth.
  6. Fold & Chill: Pour dressing over the diced ingredients. Using a large rubber spatula, fold gently from bottom to top so potatoes remain intact. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight to let flavors harmonize. Re-season with salt, pepper, or brine before serving.
Chef's Tip: Blanching the minced onion eliminates harsh acidity that can cause the salad to ferment prematurely. Always dress the salad when potatoes are cool to prevent mayonnaise from breaking.