Fur Coat Salad Cake (Russian Shuba)

Shuba salad is a classic Russian dish featuring beautiful layers of pickled herring and root vegetables. It’s traditionally a national New Year’s dish, but let’s be honest, it’s delicious anytime of the year.

Salad:
kipfler potatoes, scrubbed (400 g)
beetroot, cooked, drained (50 g)
1 tsp. caster sugar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
pickled herring fillets in oil, drained, thinly sliced (200 g)
½ red onion, thinly sliced into rings
6 eggs, peeled, hard-boiled, 5 halved lengthways, 1 reserved
2 large carrots, cooked, coarsely grated
2 baby cucumbers, thinly sliced
caviar (25 g)

Dressing:
¼ cup whole egg mayonnaise (75 g)
2 Tbsp. crème fraiche
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 dill pickle, finely chopped + 1 tsp. pickle brine
1 Tbsp. horseradish, freshly grated
1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
1 Tbsp. chives, finely snipped
1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Creamy Coat:
½ cup whole egg mayonnaise (150 g)
crème fraiche (100 g)
2 tsp. horseradish, freshly grated
½ lemon, freshly squeezed
½ lemon zest, freshly grated
1 tsp. garlic powder

Grease an 18 cm springform pan (without the base) and line the side with baking paper. Place on a serving plate. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook for 20 minutes until just tender. Drain, then return to pan for 30 seconds to steam dry. Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard skins. Cut into 1cm cubes.

Pat beetroot dry, then coarsely grate and toss in a medium bowl with sugar and vinegar. For the dressing, mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add potato, tossing gently. Set aside.

For the creamy coat, whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined. Chill until required. Place potato mixture on plate in the prepared pan, pressing down gently to flatten. Top with herring in an even layer, then the onion. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Arrange egg halves face down in a circular pattern. Sprinkle over grated carrot, then beetroot. Season again with freshly ground black pepper. Top with paper towel and a plate to compress mixture. Chill for 1-2 hours until set.

Remove top plate and paper towel. Wipe serving plate with paper towel dipped in vinegar if any juices have escaped. Carefully remove pan and baking paper. Top with creamy coat, spreading gently. Finely grate over reserved hard-boiled egg. Top with baby cucumber, caviar and chives to serve.