Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana! This is a very special post for me as it is the first time I am participating in the Daring Kitchen’s Daring Cook Challenge. I was really happy when I found out about the theme… especially since I love potato salads and this is a great way to get to read lots of interesting recipes from around the world! From the moment I read about it, I already knew what I was going to make for the challenge. I had already planned to make this recipe for a while, but something or the other kept coming in the way and I kept on postponing it… which in this case turned out in my favour. This is the most classic of Italian potato salads. It is called Insalata Russa (Russian Salad) and it is a very common cold potato salad. The following recipe is the way I have always made it. Some people add hard boiled eggs to it, but I do not eat them, so I never use them. As the dish in itself is quite simple to put together, I thought of making it with homemade mayonnaise and serving it rolled inside ham slices, just like I used to eat them when I was a child.
Ingredients:
300 gms mayonnaise (homemade or store bought)
3 medium potatoes, chopped into 2×2 cm cubes
1 carrot, chopped into 1×1 cm cubes
½ cup of fresh or frozen baby peas
¼ cup of pickled vegetables (Italian Giardiniera) or just dill, chopped in 1×1 cm cubes
200 gms tuna in olive oil, drained
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
4 to 6 slices of honey glazed ham (cut thick) to serve
Start by cooking all the vegetables separately. You can either do this in the microwave or by cooking them in salty boiling water.
When just cooked, drain well and keep aside to cool down. I always run some cold water on them both to cool them down faster and to retain their bright colors.
When the vegetables are cold, put them in a big bowl, add the chopped pickles, tuna, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.
Then add the mayonnaise and mix until all the ingredients have been incorporated.
Now your Russian Salad is ready.
Put 1 or 2 tbsp of Russian Salad on each ham slice and roll it into a “cannolo”.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Brava! You made your own mayo. Does your family also eat insalata russa at Christmas? That is such an Italian thing.
This potato salad looks so good! It has two of my favs… can you guess what they are? 1. Italian Giardiniera and 2. tuna in olive oil. I never understood why folks would choose tuna in water over tuna in olive oil! 😀
My grandmother used to give me canned Russian Salad which I was a kid – it was really horrible! You have convinced me I should give it another try. What a lovely response to the potato salad challenge, Manu.
L’insalata russa! A staple appetizer of any important meal in my family. I had forgotten the rolls of ham stuffed with it… you brought me back in time. My mother always makes her mayonnaise from scratch, but I have to admit I never tried, even though I sure know the difference in taste! Good luck for the challenge.
Hi There, This is looking absolutely delightful. Loved the new combo of ingredients and the recipe is so nicely made and presented. Saving this recipe of urs and wud love to give ur version a try on the coming weekend. Have a great day….Sonia !!!
I’m Piedmontese, so Russian Salad is running through my veins (did you know that Piedmont contend with Russian for its invention?!)… This is my grandma’s masterpiece, and sometimes she makes these “ham cannoli”, rarely even gelatin-coated O___O
Now I make it too… I have to prepare it next week (with home-made mayonnaise, too) for some guest from other city in Italy.
PS: I don’t put pickled vegetables in my Russian salad
Very interesting- never saw something like this before. Will be trying it. I love the idea of ham with potato salad!
I think the Russian salad is good enough to eat on its own!
The Russian salad in homemade mayonnaise itself sounds so good already…but wrapping it in ham makes it even better!
Good luck on The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge, Manu! Your Russian Salad in Ham Cannoli is such a perfect entry!
I remember my mom and grandma doing these rolls when I was a kid. I think they were using store bought Russian salad.
The Russians call it Salat Olivier. Wonder where they got it!
Che buoni! Una meraviglia Manu, sopratutto con la mayo fatta in casa…
L’accoppiata insalata russa prosciutto cotto è perfetta e i tuoi cannoli sono veramente, veramente invitanti…slurp!
This is really interesting, i would never have thought to have the tuna with ham. I’d like to taste it 🙂
Perfect and my favorite salad of all times..there is no celebration in my house without it:))
I do add boiled eggs from time to time, and always pickles..addition of tuna is interesting..I would love to try that too..sounds awesome especially in ham cannoli..yummy!
Oh my… this is what my mom makes – potato salad is very similar to hers (one of her potato salad recipes). And rolling up in ham… I didn’t know this “wrapping in a ham” came from Italy. A lot of Japanese makes this for appetizers as we love potato salads. When I saw this picture, I was like omg!!! So nice to see the similar/same dish created by you.
Fun! I love the ham cannoli!
thats one healthy potato salad opposed to my version 🙁
how cute.. rolling it in ham!!!
Manu, you are SO creative! What a fabulous potato salad…and wrapped in ham? Just gorgeous~
Are you doing the Daring Bakers’ this month? Not sure I have time to make my own filo :/
Thanks Lizzy! 🙂
For now I am just doing the Daring Cooks challenges… no Daring Bakers… I was a bit intimidated by the bakers’ challenges!!! I might give it a try after I get a bit more “organised”! 😉
Hi Manu! Wish you all the best and good luck for your “Daring Kitchen’s Daring Cook Challenge”! I’m sure your Russian Salad will be in Ham Cannoli will stand out from the rest! That’s a fun, different way to eat your potato salad! (at least to me.. :D)
For so many years in my cooking journey, I’ve never thought of rolling the potato salad with ham and I love the adding of pickles in them! (think this must be very common but I’m not very exposed to a lot of Italian foods! LOL)
Tks for the recipe! 😀
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Greetings from Milan (Italy)
by Giulia
http://cucinainmusica.blogspot.com/
I love potato salads…! Serving it inside rolled ham slices sounds like a brilliant idea…!!
Spectacular! I’d have to go with the homemade mayo as the store bought variety gives me nightmares. You make this looks super delicious 🙂 Well done!
I love this version! So awesome that you served it in the ham “cannoli” =)
This looks so cute and creative. I don’t eat ham so, have to find out a way to replace that and try this recipe:)
This is completely brilliant! I love it.
I make this salad ALL the time!! Ruska Salata…love it! 🙂
Oh wow, I also remember eating this as a child in central Europe (Czech Republic)!! I used to love but haven’t thought of this meal in years… thanks for reminding me! Lovely pictures also 😉