This salad is suitable to be served with ham, turkey or other meat dishes and the traditional Finnish Christmas casseroles.

2 medium-sized cooked, cooled and peeled potatoes
2 medium-sized cooked carrots
2 - 3 medium-sized boiled or pickled beetroots
2 small pickled gherkins
1 apple
1 very small onion
(½ salted herring or a couple of Swedish anchovy fillets)
pinch of sugar
pinch of white pepper
(pinch of salt)

smetana, crème fraîche or whipped cream
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
pinch of white pepper
dash of beetroot pickling or boiling liquid

Drain and pat dry the beetroots and gherkins. Cut the potatoes, carrots, beetroots, apples and gherkins in small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion. Finely chop the herring or anchovies. The herring or anchovies may be omitted from the recipe.

In picture above right: beetroot salad ingredients  —  carrot, potato, onion, apple, pickled gherkin and pickled beetroot.

Carefully mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season the salad with white pepper and sugar (and salt, if necessary). Cover the bowl and place in refrigerator for the "flavours to marry". The beetroot will dye the salad ingredients bright purplish red (see the picture on right).

For the dressing, stir the smetana or crème fraîche until smooth. If you are using cream, whip it until soft peaks form. Season the smetana, crème fraîche or whipped cream and colour it slightly pink by stirring in a dash of the bright red beetroot pickling or boiling liquid. Serve the dressing from a separate bowl.

Store the salad and any leftover dressing tightly covered in refrigerator.

Recipe source: family recipe from Mrs. Kirsti L.