Janis’s Story

I typically make this dish at Christmas, funerals and festive occasions. The recipe has been adapted by my mother from a typical Latvian recipe that includes beetroots and apples, which have been omitted. It is traditional for this recipe to include a mix of meat and fish. Everything is diced and it always tastes better the next day!

Ingredients

Serves: 7-9

7 potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into small pieces
¼ cup (approximately 1–3 pickles) pickles, chopped
1-2 smoked kippers or 100g smoked salmon, diced
3 eggs, hard-boiled and cut into small pieces
100g Christmas ham or pork, diced
¼ cup packed, chopped parsley
½ red onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

To serve:

1 cup sour cream*
1 tablespoon hot mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

For the salad:

1) Mix potato, pickles, kippers/smoked salmon, egg, pork/ham, parsley, onion and salt in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the marinade:

1) Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and 1-2 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Add to salad and toss well. Refrigerate to cool before serving.

For the finishing touches:

1) Mix sour cream and mustard in a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with salad and serve.

* If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can use a 50/50 mix of plain yoghurt and cream.

-Recipe by Australian/Latvian playwright Janis Balodis