Beef Salad (Salata de boeuf)
This Beef Salad, also known as Salata de Boeuf in Romania, is a traditional salad made for Easter, Christmas and New Year's Eve. It can be served as a side dish, or a meal on its own. You can make it with beef, turkey or chicken, potatoes, peas and lots of mayo. It's like a potato salad gone wild!
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time3 hrs
Total Time4 hrs
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: Romanian
Keyword: beef, salad, salata, salata de boeuf
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 594kcal
- 2 pounds beef or turkey or chicken, white or dark meat
- 2 pounds potatoes peeled
- 1 pound carrots peeled
- 1 1/2 cups pickles chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
Cook the beef: Add the beef to a pot of boiling water and cook it for about 2 hours. You can also use an Instant Pot to cook it faster. If using an Instant pot cook it on high pressure for 35 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and let it cool before chopping.
Cook the potatoes and carrots: Add the potatoes and carrots to a large pot and cover with water. Season with the tsp of salt. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes and carrots until they are fork tender, should take about 15 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
Prep the veggies and meat: Chop the meat, potatoes, carrots and pickles; they should all be small pieces about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Drain all the juice from the diced pickles and the peas. I usually place them in a paper towel lined bowl to soak up all the extra liquid.
Make the salad: Add all the veggies and meat to a big bowl, then add the mayo and mustard, season with salt and pepper and mix everything together. You will end up with a big bowl of salad, traditionally we smooth out the top of the salad with a knife and spread more mayonnaise and smooth that out.
Serve: Serve salad cold, do not warm it up.
- You can use chicken or turkey instead of beef for this recipe.
- You can use the broth from boiling the meat and veggies to make a soup.
- Roasting cuts like sirloin or chuck roast work best for this recipe.
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This salad will last up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. If stored in a bowl, make sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
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This salad does not freeze well, so I wouldn't recommend freezing leftovers.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 830mg | Potassium: 1030mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10013IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 7mg