Side Dishes

I think that the success of a meal largely depends on good side dishes. My mom won’t even sit down to dinner if there isn’t at least one cold salad. It’s usually Mizeria (Creamy Cucumber Salad), Sałatka z pomidorów z chrzanem (Tomato Salad with Horseradish), or Surówka z kiszonej kapusty (Sauerkraut, Apple, and Carrot Slaw).

All these side dishes are so tempting that I even eat them solo. One of my favorites is the perfectly velvety Sałatka z pieczonych buraków, jabłka i bundzu (Mashed Potatoes with Cold-Pressed Rapeseed Oil). It’s so good that I could eat it straight from the pot. And some of the salads from this chapter also function as a full-fledged meal, which you can proudly take with you to your friends’ place. I do this often with the Sałatka z pieczonych buraków, jabłka i bundzu (Baked Beet, Apple and Bundz Salad), tossed in an addictive walnut dressing, or with the surprisingly light Sałatka ziemniaczana z kiszonymi rzodkiewkami i gruszką (Potato Salad with Fermented Radishes and Pear) in a French mustard sauce.