Haitian Potato Salad Isn't Your Typical American Side Dish

At parties and gatherings, few dishes-to-share are as crowd-pleasing as a big bowl of potato salad, and vibrant purple-magenta Haitian potato salad is undeniably eye-catching. Unlike its mild-tasting, pale-hued American counterpart, Haitian potato salad (aka salade de betteraves or salade russe) prominently features beets, creating the dish's signature purple color. On the palate, those beets give Haitian potato salad a deep earthy flavor with just a hint of sweetness.

Caribbean culinary style fuses the best of French, Spanish, and indigenous African cuisines. This cultural blend is to thank for such classic Haitian dishes as soup joumou, a national favorite, spicy mamba peanut butter, and pork griot (preferred by chef and Nobel Peace Prize nominee José Andrés). In this purple-hued potato salad stunner, creamy Russian potato salad gets a technicolor root veggie upgrade (the name "salad russe" directly translates to "Russian salad"). To take your potato salad to the next level, just beet it (sorry). 

Traditional Haitian potato salad starts with a base of beets and red, russet, or Yukon gold potatoes. These hearty tubers meet a classic French mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot, plus diced green bell pepper for color and zing. To assemble, the beets, potatoes, and carrot get scrubbed, peeled, and boiled together in a large pot until tender. From there, all the ingredients get diced and folded together with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, chilling to serve.

Some versions of Haitian potato salad also include other mix-ins like drained canned peas, shredded cheddar cheese, cubed ham, sauteed white onion, red and yellow bell peppers, a drizzle of honey, fresh parsley, or chopped hard-boiled eggs. Feel free to employ a little creative liberty here. If you're using eggs in your dish, they can be hard-boiled in the same pot alongside the beets, potatoes, and carrots. 

Pro tip: The carrots are going to cook to completion more quickly than the potatoes, which are going to cook faster than the beets. For optimal texture, individually remove the veggies from the boiling water using a slotted spoon as they become tender. Also, for a brighter purple pigment in the finished salad, don't cube the peeled beets until after they've been boiled. The exact dice size on all of the ingredients can be as toothy-large or as fine as desired. Jarred pickled beets can also be used, but will impart a taste more briny than sweet.

This Caribbean classic makes an ideal dish-to-share at cookouts, potlucks, and picnics. It's a perfect pairing alongside grilled burgers, brats, and pulled pork sandwiches. To complete the meal, enjoy your salade russe with this refreshing spicy pineapple lemonade cocktail to brighten those deep, earthy beets.