Salad Olivier was invented and served for the first time at the Winter Palace to Tsar Nicholas II by his French chef, Monsieur Oliver. Unlike his royal employer, the chef escaped from Russia after the Revolution and prospered as proprietor of a Berlin restaurant. This is one of many appetizers that may be served for “zakooska hour”–the Russian style prelude to dinner, featuring glasses of vodka and lots of hearty snacks. But you don’t need to throw a “zakooska hour” to enjoy this salad. It makes a fine luncheon entree as well as party appetizer.
2 cooked whole skinless, boneless breasts of chicken, chilled
6 medium-size boiled red potatoes, chilled and peeled
4 small dill pickles
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
6 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
12 large green olives
4 hard-cooked eggs, cut in wedges
Fresh dill weed, chopped
Slice chicken evenly into very thin strips. Slice the potatoes into one-fourth-inch slices. Slice the pickles into thin strips. Mix Worcestershire sauce into the mayonnaise; then combine carefully in large bowl with the chicken, potatoes, and pickles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in serving dish and garnish with olives and egg wedges. Sprinkle with dill weed.
Serve with slices of hearty bread, such as Russian black bread.
Yield: 24 small servings