Potato and Herring Appetizer

Blog's Category: My Own Fast and Easy, Hors D'oeuvre

Potato and Herring Hors D'oeuvre

Intro
In Russia, combination potato-herring is a very classical, almost unbreakable combination. If there is a herring - potato as a side dish the must. It doesn't matter would it be potato puree, or roasted potato or simply boiled potato with a butter. Said that, appetizer I'm talking about below is very natural combination.

This special love to a herring runs in my family. Especially in my husband-side family. Herring is "the must" not just on a holiday table but it is on my mother-in-law everyday menu. I have to say though that she eats exclusively real stuff - salted (not marinated!) herring brought from our local Russian store. I have to say that I prefer salted herring to the common "in a wine sauce" or "breakfast herring" or "creamy" one from a regular grocery store. The difference in the taste is quite substantial.
For the recipe below I have used salted herring fillet from Russian store but if you are a fan of regular grocery-store herring in a first place, you will love this recipe too.
Actually, this hors d'oeuvre style "thing a magiggy" is my interpretation of my sister-in-law recipe which is a mix of roasted potato pieces, herring, sweet onion and olive oil. I thought that modifying this salad into a form of hors d'oeuvre would be not such a bad idea.
I've made it couple days ago as a "suck up" treat when my mother-in-law got back from Florida vacation. Well.. it was wiped out from a plates faster than I blink. No doubts, it will be regular on our menu. 

Besides being tasty, it is ...
- healthy (herring..omega 3, etc...raw onion). Regarding mayo - there is a choice to dismiss the "mayo" fear due to overwhelming benefits of herring and onion OR make your own mayo!
- easy to put together. Isn't it fun stocking pieces of food on a top of each other.. building it like wooden blocks - does it click something from childhood for you?
- great for party trays as hors d'oeuvre. Unless it's not formal party and more like friends gathering, I think, having raw onion here would not be a big of an issue, right?
- heaven for herring lovers :)

Taste Description

Earthy and filling qualities of roasted potato, smudged with "making-everything-better" mayonnaise and topped with victorious saltiness of herring, mixed up in one bite - is a win-win combination. Try and you will be hooked.

How to Serve
Serve it on a plate. If leftovers happen to happen (not a chance in our family) - keep it refrigerated.

Potato and Herring Appetizer

• 3 Idaho Russet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced across 1/2" thick
• 1/4 of a small sweet onion, sliced across 1/3" thick
• 2-3 tbs mayonnaise
• 2 herring fillets, sliced across 1/3" thick (or herring pieces from a jar)
• 1-2 tbs olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
 

- Sprinkle potato pieces with salt, pepper and olive oil, stir to coat.

- Place potato on a slightly oiled baking sheet and roast in an oven, preheated to 360F until it's golden-brown and completely cooked. It should be soft when you pierce with toothpick or knife. When done, remove from an oven and let it cool completely.

- Fun part - assembly: spread a thin layer of mayo on potato, lay 3 pieces of onion and top everything with a 1 or 2 pieces of herring. E-e-eeasy! Done! Enjoy!


Notes

For all my potato recipes, including this one, I like to use Idaho Russet potato - it works the best for me. I love its tenderness and perfect texture. If baked - it will be lovely creaminess under nice and crispy crust; if boiled - it will be beautifully falling apart and ready to be transformed into the best mashed potato ever!

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IN PICTURES

 

Variations

- Replace mayonnaise with a cream cheese or thin layer of mustard if you wish.

- For a "fresher breath" version, substitute onion with parsley leaves.