Few dishes are as familiar to Latvians as a big bowl of rasols, set out whenever a crowd is expected. It is a finely diced salad of potato, carrot, egg, pickled cucumber, peas and meat, bound with sour cream, and it descends from the famous salad the chef Lucien Olivier created in Moscow in the 1860s. In prewar Riga it was a grand affair: a 1937 household almanac lists herring, lampreys, veal and apples. After the war, cooks made do with what the shops had, and sausage, eggs and pickles took the place of the luxuries.

That postwar version is the one most Latvians grew up with, and every family defends its own as the correct one with a passion usually reserved for sport. Ours keeps a little of the older style, with sour cream rather than mayonnaise doing most of the work, a tart apple for freshness and slices of boiled beet on top. It is made ahead, it feeds a crowd, and it improves overnight, which puts it on the short list of ideal things to have in the fridge on a race weekend.

Cooking the vegetables and eggs

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) waxy potatoes
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium beet
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fine salt

Method

1. Put the potatoes and carrots in the large saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch (2.5 cm), add the salt and bring to a boil. Lower to a steady simmer, half covered. Lift out the carrots after 15 to 20 minutes and the potatoes after 20 to 25 minutes.
2. At the same time, put the beet in the small saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on its size. Alternatively, wrap it in foil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 45 minutes.
3. Put the eggs in the second small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, cover, turn off the heat and leave for 11 minutes. Then move the eggs to a bowl of cold water.
4. Spread the potatoes and carrots on a tray and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes. Peel the potatoes and carrots with a small knife; the skins slip off easily once cooked. Peel the beet the same way, wearing gloves if you want to avoid pink fingers, and peel the eggs.

Dressing and assembly

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) cooked ham, boiled sausage or roast pork
• 3 medium salted pickles
• 1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith
• 1 cup (140 g) frozen peas
• 3 scallions
• 1 cup (240 g) full fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon or Latvian style mild mustard
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill

Method

1. Cut the potatoes, carrots, ham and pickles into small, even cubes about 1/4 inch (6 mm) across. Chop 4 of the eggs the same size; keep the last egg for the top. Core the apple, leave the peel on and dice it last so it does not brown. Put everything except the beet into the large bowl with the peas and scallions.
2. Whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and most of the dill in the small bowl. Add a tablespoon of the pickle brine if you like more tang.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and fold it through gently with the spatula, lifting from the bottom, until everything is evenly coated. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
4. Spoon the salad into the serving bowl and smooth the top. Slice the beet and the last egg into thin rounds and arrange them over the top, then sprinkle with the rest of the dill. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

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