Final Notes for the Homemade Potato Salad Recipe with Ham (Russian Olivier Salad)
➡️ Salad appetizers belong to some of the most popular appetizer recipes in countries from Central and Eastern Europe, but also from the Balkans. As a result, there are lots of salad appetizer recipes of all kinds, but a large part of them include potatoes. This is probably because the potato is a staple food in these regions and is used to give consistency to the dishes.
➡️ The classic potato salad recipe with mayonnaise is one of the most popular recipes. It’s served either as a cold appetizer for various events or as a side dish to grilled or roasted meat on hot summer days. The potato salad recipe I share on this page is classic, Russian-inspired. Locally, it’s called Olivier salad and some call it Russian salad with ham.
➡️ Regarding this old-fashioned potato salad, its preparation is very easy and requires only simple ingredients, easy to find, and is liked by everyone. Most of the time I use mayonnaise bought from the store when I make this salad to shorten the working time. Other times, I make homemade mayonnaise using an easy mayonnaise recipe with the mixer.
➡️ As you may have seen in a video, the recipe features many other vegetables besides potatoes. They give a pleasant taste to the salad appetizer and make it much healthier due to the content of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
➡️ If you’re wondering why pickles are used, the answer is that they are necessary to balance the sweet taste of vegetables. The amount used depends on your culinary taste, so you can use more or less, as desired.
➡️ As for the ham, you can use any type of cured or smoked ham as long as it does not contain fat. This has an unpleasant taste and consistency in combination with mayonnaise, so avoid using it. In addition, I recommend you cut the ham into small cubes in order to have a pleasant texture in this cold appetizer that can be prepared in advance when organizing festive meals or parties.
➡️ Because it’s delicious, this homemade potato salad recipe is one of my favorite make-ahead appetizers and party food recipes. Besides serving this dish as an appetizer, it can be used to prepare more complex cold appetizers. For example, it can be used to stuff red bell peppers, which can be then arranged on a platter and served as finger food at parties.
➡️ Enjoy making homemade potato salad from scratch! For additional info, read more about potato salad recipe origins here!