Romanian Potato Salad - Oriental Salad
This Romanian potato salad, known as Salata Orientala, is a classic made with gherkins, olives, and eggs, commonly found in every Romanian home.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 503kcal
Ingredients
Salad:
- 2 lbs waxy potatoes 1 kg
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 large red onion
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 4 oz sweet-sour cucumbers (gherkins) 120 g, more to taste
- 10 black olives Note 2
- 10 green olives
Dressing:
- 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar to taste
- 2 tablespoons gherkin water or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon medium mustard or Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil
- fine sea salt and pepper
- a small bunch of parsley
Instructions
Salad:
- Cook potatoes: Wash the potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the potatoes. Bring to a simmer again and cook for 15-20 minutes or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Drain well and let cool slightly. Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. Place them into a bowl.2 lbs waxy potatoes/ 1 kg + 1 tablespoon salt
- Prepare ingredients: Quarter the onion and slice it thinly. Add to the bowl. Slice the hard-boiled eggs and the gherkins and add them to the salad as well. Finally, add the olives; you can either leave them whole or slice them.1 large red onion + 4 hard-boiled eggs + 4 oz sweet-sour cucumbers (gherkins) + 10 black olives + 10 green olives
Dressing:
- Whisk 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, gherkin water, and mustard. Slowly add the sunflower oil while whisking all the time until the dressing emulsifies slightly. Add salt and pepper generously.1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar + 2 tablespoons gherkin water or more to taste + 1 teaspoon medium mustard or Dijon mustard + 4 tablespoons sunflower oil + fine sea salt and pepper
- Combine: Pour the dressing over the salad and mix gently until all the ingredients are coated with the sauce.
- Adjust taste and add more vinegar or gherkin water and salt to taste.
- Serve: Stir again before serving and adjust the taste again if necessary; you could add one extra tablespoon of oil, vinegar, gherkin water, and salt and pepper. Chop the parsley and sprinkle it over the salad just before serving.a small bunch of parsley
Notes
- Serving: The Romanian potato salad is usually served as a main dish. However, it makes an excellent side dish for grilled meats, sausages, and so on.
- Preferably unpitted black olives; they taste so much better. However, if using them, warn the people at the table about the pit.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the salad | Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 187mg | Sodium: 744mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g