I was craving for this salad since I made it last time, in the beginning of the summer, and this one is made with the last beet, carrot and onion crops of our kitchen garden.
It brings color, flavor and memories from my childhood. It was a staple in my grandma Ligia’s kitchen. In that comforting kitchen, where everything was delicious and yummy, you could taste love in every single bite.
My grandma was the most creative self taught cook in this world. I don’t remember her having a recipe notebook, but for me, she was the best cook ever.
In a time with no internet, TV cooking shows and cookbooks —like the ones we have right now—, she used to create the most appealing meals to feed her eight children and then us, the lucky grand children under her care.
I think she called this salad Ensalada de ruedas (Wheel Salad), because boiled ingredients are sliced creating multicolor circles. My grandma was so cool that she made us not only eat it, but also like it. I still don’t have that kind of persuasion power over Andrés Ignacio (9) and Tomás Eugenio (7).
I love it mostly because it looks like a flower and also because of the combination of flavors and textures: neutral starchy potatoes, sweet beets and carrots, crispy and juicy fresh onions and then the eggs boiled to perfection, all dressed with vinaigrette, made of olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
My grandma used to boil all the ingredients together. With eight kids, I don’t blame her. My “secret” is to boil them separately, so I can get the right cooking time and color for each. Here is my recipe. I hope you like it!
Boiled Potatoes, Beets, Carrots and Egg Salad | Ingredients for 6 portions
3-4 medium potatoes
3 medium beets
2-3 medium carrots
1 medium onion, finely sliced
6 eggs boiled, peeled and sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbs. of white wine vinegar
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Boil the unpeeled potatoes (20-25 minutes or until tender), beets (30 minutes or until tender) and carrots (15 min or until tender) in three different pots. Strain and let cool down. Peel the potatoes, beets and carrots and slice them. In a shallow dish or salad plate, make a layer of potatoes, then a layer of beets, then onions, carrots and finally eggs. In a jar, make the vinaigrette with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and dress the salad with it. This salad tastes better if refrigerated for at least 1 hour and eaten cold.
To print the recipe click here.
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