After my trip through Russia in 2017 for my 50th birthday
on the Trans Siberian Railway, I really began to appreciate Russia's way with
mayonnaise based salads. I read Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking:A Memoir of Food and Longing which really helped me to appreciate the
Russian kitchen. One of the dishes I have become obsessed with is
this Russian Egg Salad with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and dill.
I have made it several times and it rarely gets to sit around for a couple of
days.
This recipe on Orangette is my guide. She
adapted her recipe from the cookbook written by the same author of the book I
read as I crossed the country. (Adapted from
SAVEUR, and from Anya Von
Bremzen's PLEASE TO THE TABLE: THE RUSSIAN COOKBOOK)
I use white button mushrooms. Orangette says the flavor of this salad really deepens with time,
so consider making it a day (or even two) before you want to eat it but I have rarely made it that long.
5 Tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. mushrooms, roughly chopped
? medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh dill
4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
? cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt Freshly
ground black pepper
1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a 10” or 12” skillet
over medium-high heat, and add the mushrooms. (If they don’t all fit in the pan
at once, let the first panful wilt down a bit, and then add the rest. It’ll
work out fine.) Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 14-16 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.
2. Wipe out the skillet.Heat the remaining oil in the
skillet over medium-high heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until
the onions begin to soften; then reduce the heat to low and continue to cook
until lightly caramelized, 10-15 minutes.
3. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Add the dill
and eggs, and stir to mix.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise,
mustard, and lemon juice. Add a couple of spoonfuls to the mushroom mixture,
and toss until evenly combined. Taste, and add more dressing as needed.
(All in all, I used only about two-thirds of the
dressing.) Season with salt and pepper.
Depending on how deeply browned the onions are, you might
also want an extra squeeze of lemon.Pile on lightly toasted bread – preferably
sourdough rye, if you’ve got some – and serve open-faced.
Yield: about 2 cups