Russian Potato Beet Salad

The taste and smell of Russian Potato Beet Salad always reminds me of Christmas holidays spent at home. I remember when I was little and Mama prepared it for the first time, I imagined the taste to be sweet-with its distinct pink color. I even thought it was dessert, like a pink cotton candy! Boy, was I wrong! I disliked it in an instant wondering why they all loved and raved about it! But as times passed and after seeing it on the dinner table Christmas after Christmas, I've developed a liking to it and even craved for it.  

Now, that all of us nine kids have married and have our own homes this dish transports me back to Christmas when we were all still together. I've decided to make this a tradition and Christmas won't be complete without this on the table. This is one of Papa's favorites. It is best paired with chicken barbecue and ham.   

Ingredients:

1 kg Potatoes

1 kg Carrots

1/2 kg Beets

1 can Pineapple Chunks, drained

1/2 kg Shredded Chicken Breast

1-2 stalks Celery, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 bottle Pickle Relish

1 large bottle Mayonnaise

2-3 tablespoons Brown sugar

Salt to taste

1. In a large pot, boil the chicken breast, sprinkled with some salt and pepper to taste. When done, take the chicken out and shred. Set aside.

2. Peel the potatoes and carrots. Boil in the same pot where you boiled the chicken breast, until cooked through but still firm. Take out of the water then cut into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.

3. Wash the sugar beets thoroughly with water and in a separate pot, bring to boil with the skin on (very important) so the beautiful color won't seep out of the beets into the water. When cooked through, take it out, peel then cut into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.

4. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, combine together the potatoes, carrots, beets, chicken, celery, mayonnaise, pineapple chunks, pickle relish, brown sugar, and salt. Mix gently until well incorporated. Adjust taste as needed. 

5. Transfer in a serving dish or food storage containers and refrigerate before serving.

Note: If salad becomes discolored, just mix it up gently before serving to redistribute color.