Herring Under a Fur Coat Salad

8 standard portions

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Ingredients

• 2 large cooked potatoes (or 3 medium potatoes, chilled, peeled, and grated)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 9 ounces ounces herring fillets (drained from oil, and chopped)
• 2 small yellow onions (finely diced)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider or distilled vinegar
• Salt & pepper (to taste)
• 4 medium cooked carrots (chilled, peeled, and grated)
• 5 large boiled eggs (peeled and grated)
• 2 large cooked beets (chilled, peeled, and grated)
• Fresh dill or green onions (to garnish)

Method

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots in salted water until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and chill completely. Peel and grate them using a fine grater.
2. In a separate pot, boil the beets until soft, about 1 ½ hours. Cool, peel, and grate. If the beets are very juicy, pat them dry with a paper towel to avoid a watery salad.
3. Finely dice the onions. Pour boiling water over them, drain, then rinse with cold water. Drain again, then pour vinegar over the onions. Let sit for 5 minutes, rinse again with hot water, and drain. (Optional: skip vinegar soak if using mild onions)
4. On a large, deep and round serving plate, arrange half the grated beets in an even layer. Top with half of the grated potatoes. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the potatoes.
5. Spread all the onions over the mayonnaise layer. Add a second thin layer of mayonnaise. Evenly distribute the chopped herring over the onions.
6. Top with the remaining potatoes and a thin layer of mayonnaise. Add all of the grated carrots, followed by more mayonnaise. Add all of the grated eggs in an even layer.
7. Top with the remaining grated beets. Spread the final layer of mayonnaise over the beets. Use a fork to create a decorative pattern on top.
8. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, garnish with fresh dill or chopped green onions.