Name: Revolutionary Russian Salad
Cuisine: Russia
Ingredients: 350 g waxy potatoes (Anya, Fingerling and Pink Fir are good choices), boiled and cooled; small bunch of sprouts or cress; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 8 thickish slices (about 200g) of cooked and peeled ox tongue, or use lambs’ tongues; large handful of green beans; 150 g fresh peas, blanched; 2 lobsters, each about 500 g, cooked and flesh removed (see below); 1½ teaspoons white truffle oil (black truffle oil has an earthier flavour that doesn’t work so well here); 12–16 baby carrots (or use a large carrot cut into batons)

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Salads

By Peter Gordon

Published 2005

About

While the classic Russian salad – first created by French chefs at the courts of the Tsars – may just seem too odd a combination, it is actually quite a delicious dish. It is an example of a European salad with contrasting textures and a complex array of ingredients – while truffle and lobster may seem happy to sit on the same plate, truffle oil and ox tongue are a revelation.

With the usual mayonnaise binding replaced by a lemon vinaigrette, you will find this much lighter and fres