Herring and Beetroot Salad
6 servings
30 minutes
The Finnish Christmas table looks rather ascetic. It is traditionally served with baked ham, brandy-marinated graavilohi salmon (the name translates as "buried salmon") buried under a layer of salt and dill , as well as three casseroles - rutabaga, carrots and beets - as a way of thanking nature for the meager northern fruits. A week before Christmas Eve, the Finns bake Christmas rye bread. And the role of Olivier, into which a heavily drunk Finn can gently slap his face , is played by the rossolli salad - something between vinaigrette and herring under a fur coat, clear proof that Nordic cuisine in its home version is by no means distinguished by sophistication.
1
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the peeled beets on a bed of coarse salt in a deep baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until soft for about an hour. Boil the potatoes until soft.
- Beet: 230 g
- Coarse salt: 70 g
- Potato: 110 g
2
Cool the beet and potato, slice them, mix 600 ml of water in a bowl with vinegar and sugar, add all the spices.
- Beet: 230 g
- Potato: 110 g
- White wine vinegar: 150 ml
- Sugar: 180 g
- Bay leaf: 5 piece
- Cinnamon sticks: 1 piece
- Carnation: 1 tablespoon
- Allspice peas: 1 tablespoon
- White peppercorns: 0.5 tablespoon
3
Soak slices of beetroot, onion cut into half rings, and sliced apple in marinade. Leave for 2 hours, then drain the liquid and remove the spices. Add potatoes, chopped herring, sour cream, and finely chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper, and mix in unsweetened cream.
- Beet: 230 g
- Red onion: 1 head
- Granny Smith apples: 1 piece
- Potato: 110 g
- Pickled herring: 110 g
- Sour cream: 20 g
- Green onions: 15 g
- Dill: 15 g
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Whipped cream: 30 ml