When I visited my cousins in Annecy, they served me this unusual salad. Its variety of colors and textures is stunning. As with many other cooked salads, it tastes even better the next day, making it a great dish for dinner parties or picnics. The kosher dill pickles came from shopping trips to Geneva and were a big treat.

　　

Ingredients

6 to 8 servings

　　2 medium beets

　　5 tablespoons olive oil

　　Salt to taste

　　2 small (not tiny) russet potatoes

　　1 large carrot, peeled

　　2 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar

　　1 clove garlic, minced

　　1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

　　Dash of sugar

　　Freshly ground pepper to taste

　　1 large kosher sour pickle, diced

　　1 tart green apple, diced

　　2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

　　

Step 2

Cut off the tops of the beets, scrub them, and place them on the baking sheet. Coat them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and roast them in the oven for an hour. Remove from the oven, and when they are cool enough to handle, peel and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes.

　　

Step 3

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the potatoes until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the water, and allow to cool before peeling and cutting into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook the carrot for about 5 minutes in that same boiling salted water. Remove with a slotted spoon, cool, and cut into 1/2-inch rounds.

　　

Step 4

Whisk together the vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste in a salad bowl. Stream in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Toss in the beets, the potatoes, the carrot, the pickle, the apple, and the eggs. Stir until everything is just coated with the vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve the next day, either way garnished with fresh dill.

　　Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous