Pancarlı patates salatası (potato and beetroot salad)

Pancarlı patates salatası is a vibrant and hearty Turkish Cypriot salad with earthy and refreshing flavours. Pronounced 'pahn-jar-luh pah-tah-tess sah-lah-tah-suh', it brings together tender boiled Cyprus potatoes and sweet beetroot to create a contrast in taste and colour.

The salad is dressed with a light and tangy mix of extra virgin olive oil, malt vinegar and a hint of freshly chopped garlic which work well together to enhance the flavours of the vegetables. Dried mint lifts the dish with freshness, which is perfect for the summer when served chilled. The salad can also be eaten at room temperature, making it a versatile dish for any season.

Traditionally, freshly boiled eggs are chopped or quartered, before mixing into the salad or are sprinkled on top of each serving. This creates a perfect balance of wholesome flavours, with the eggs adding a creamy texture that pairs well with the potato and beetroot. However, the salad works easily without the boiled eggs and their addition depends on your preference.

Pancarlı patates salatası is great served with grilled meats, patates köftesi, as part of a meze platter or simply on its own with bread and olives. It can also be eaten by itself for a lighter meal. We recommend using a high quality extra virgin olive oil and use a peppery Cypriot variety when we make it, but you can use any that you like. You can also boil fresh beetroot yourself, but we use pre-cooked beetroot in this recipe for speed in preparation.

Serves 4, as a side | Preparation time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes | Additional time: 1 hour for cooling the potatoes and eggs

Ingredients

Salad
1kg medium-sized Cyprus potatoes (or other waxy potato variety), washed thoroughly with skins left on	250g ready-cooked and peeled beetroot
4 large eggs	A little salt, for boiling the eggs
Dressing
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped	​150-200ml extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp malt vinegar, or as desired	1 tsp dried mint, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tsp salt, or as desired

Hob heat settings

Method

For the potatoes:

1. Add the potatoes to a large saucepan with enough water to cover by about 5cm. Boil while loosely covered on a high heat for 30-40 minutes or until they are cooked through, but still firm (test with a fork). Turn the potatoes over occasionally while cooking and top up with more hot water if it runs low.

   
   

2. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain off the water and allow to cool completely (you can place the potatoes in cold water to cool them quickly).

   
   

   

   
   

3. When the cooked potatoes are cool, peel the skins off with a knife and cut roughly into 2cm pieces. Place in a large bowl to use later.

   
   

   

   
   

For the eggs:

1. While the potatoes are cooking, add water with a little salt to a small saucepan and place on a high heat. The water should be enough to completely submerge the eggs when added later.

   
   

2. Once the water starts to simmer reduce to a medium-high heat. Add the eggs slowly and carefully by lowering them in with a spoon, and boil for 12 minutes. Drain, rinse and place the eggs in cold water to cool the eggs completely, before removing the shells.

   
   

3. Cut each boiled egg into 8 pieces, by cutting into quarters and then cutting each quarter in half.

   
   

   

   
   

Finishing the salad:

1. Rinse off the excess juice of the beetroots and cut each into quarters. Then, cut each quarter into 1cm-thick crescent shaped slices. Add the beetroot slices to the potatoes pieces in the large bowl. 

   
   

   

   
   

2. Make the dressing by stirring the olive oil, chopped garlic, malt vinegar, salt and dried mint together in a small bowl. You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to taste. 

   
   

3. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and beetroot and stir together by gently lifting from the bottom with a spoon, so as not to mash the potatoes. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled, with the boiled egg pieces and some dried mint sprinkled on top. The salad is great served on the side of a grilled meat of your choice but can be eaten without.