Romanian/Russian Salata de Boeuf (Salat Olivje)

Make the Salad

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes in their skins until they are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Remove them from the water and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Dice finely and reserve.

3. Peel the carrots and parsnips. In a large pot of boiling water, cook them until fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove them from the water and when cool enough to handle, dice finely and reserve.

4. Hard boil the eggs. When cool enough to handle, dice finely and set aside.

5. Finely dice the onions, celery, and pickles.

6. In a large bowl, add the diced potatoes, diced cooked chicken or other meat, diced carrots, parsnips, eggs, onion, and celery, reserving some of the vegetables and eggs to use to decorate the salad.

7. Squeeze the diced pickles lightly in a paper towel to remove some of their juice (otherwise the salad will be too watery) and add to the rest of the diced ingredients.

8. Place the frozen peas in a colander and run cold water over them to defrost. Drain completely, patting dry, if necessary, and add to the other diced ingredients in the large bowl.

Make the Dressing

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Assemble the Salad

1. Add the dressing to the bowl of vegetables and chicken and toss to completely coat.

2. Transfer the salad to a pretty serving bowl or mound onto a platter. Cover the entire top with a thin layer of the dressing. Use enough so no salad shows through. Decorate the top with the reserved vegetables and hard-cooked eggs, along with olives and parsley.

3. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to serve chilled. While you could serve it immediately at room temperature, refrigerating it allows the flavors to mix together best.

4. Serve and enjoy.