Russian Beet and Potato Salad

 I've started my weekly summer farm produce pick-ups, which always leads to a few episodes of either "What is that?" or "I know what that is, but what do I do with it?" Last week we got beets. Luckily, beets are big in Russia, so I looked online for a recipe for one of Jeff's favorite Russian salads. Very nice and cool in the super-hot weather we've been having. And it actually makes me laugh how the beets dye everything (fingers, cutting board, all other ingredients in the salad) magenta.

Ingredients

• 2 beets
• 4 small potatoes
• 2 small carrots
• 3 small dill pickles, diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar)
• salt to taste
• 3 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook beets until tender, about 30 minutes. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook potatoes and carrots until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain vegetables, cool, and remove skins. Dice and place in a large bowl.
2. Place the diced pickles in the bowl with beets, potatoes, and carrots. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt. Sprinkle with green onions. Chill completely before serving. 

  Cook's Note

• Beets will color everything red. If you like other vegetables to retain color you need to put beets aside and put some dressing on them separately. Then carefully fold them in with the rest of the salad before serving.