Janny de Moor Janny de Moor

Hussar’s salad

Ingrediënten

Serves 6:

  • 1 head lettuce,
  • coarse outer leaves removed
  • 600 g boiled potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons oil (approx.)
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar (approx.)
  • 1 teaspoon ready-made mustard
  • pepper, salt
  • 1 tart apple
  • 1 cooked beetroot
  • 150 g cooked peas
  • 150 g cooked carrots
  • 2 hard-boiled  eggs
  • 4 pickled gherkins
  • 4 tablespoons cocktail onions
  • a lot of mayonaise

Decoration:

  • gherkins
  • radishes or diced beetroot
  • hard-boiled eggs

Huzarensalade is so very Dutch that you can find a recipe even in the authoritative Van Dale Dutch Dictionary. It is a dish for New Year’s Eve, to be served around twelve o’clock and eaten after New Year’s kissing ceremony. But the Dutch also like to serve this salad on other festive occasions. The name is said to  derive from the fact that hussars, once stationed all over the country, were underfed in their barracks. In desperation they courted the kitchenmaids of wealthy families, who fed them cold left-overs from their master’s kitchens. And apparently did their best to please their heroes …

  • Wash the lettuce leaves. Line a shallow dish with them.
  • Mash the potatoes with oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper and salt to taste. Maybe you need some more oil and vinegar for a smooth result.
  • Dice peeled beetroot, apple and carrots, chop eggs finely, chop pickles and onions. Mix carefully with potato mash. Make a mountain of this mixture over the lettuce leaves. Cover with a thick coating of mayonnaise.
  • Decorate with gherkins, diced beetroot (in summer: radishes) and hardboiled eggs.

Variation

  • Here you find the vegetarian version, but you can also mix in 300 g diced cold meat (veal or beef) instead of peas and carrots. This is a very versatile recipe.

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