Potato and Herring Salad (Estonian Rossolj)

Estonia Rossolje is one of their signature dishes. Every household has their own unique recipe for this staple. It is served cold which is common. I was a little reluctant about the herring part of the dish, but the truth is I used a smoked herring and I loved it! It has quite a few ingredients and the combination of flavours was wonderful. The colour of the salad turns pink thanks to the beetroot.

10 small new white or gold potatoes
2 small onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 pickles, diced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. pure honey
1 small can beets, diced
marinated or smoked herring (not from a can, it gets mushy)
2 tart apples, diced (like Granny smith)
½ cup Hallmann's mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
2 eggs, hard-boiled, chopped
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup smoked ham, diced

Boil the potatoes in salty water until tender, rinse under cold water. When cool enough to handle cube the potatoes. It is up to you whether or not you want to remove the peel.

In a bowl, put in the potatoes, onions, garlic, pickles, drained, beets, apples, herring and ham. Gently fold in the mustard, honey, mayonnaise and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with dill and diced egg. Refrigerate for about an hour and serve chilled.

Makes 8 servings.