Appetizers and Party Food Recipes
Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce)
4 servings
Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) is delicious cold appetizer is something like a savory version of a decadent sundae. It is full of surprising flavors that together come in perfect harmony. The combination of the mouthwatering base salad along with the deli meat, hard-boiled egg, delicious sauce, pickle, and pimiento pepper is simply irresistible. Read More
Appetizers and Party Food Recipes
Gluten-freeDairy-free
Before You Start
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
Introduction to Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce)
I believe that Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) is a delicious cold appetizer that resembles a savory version of a decadent sundae. I find it full of surprising flavors that together come in perfect harmony. The combination of the mouthwatering base salad along with the deli meat, hard-boiled egg, delicious sauce, pickle, and pimiento pepper is simply irresistible. I recommend serving this elegant dish with Czech Rye Bread, Czech Rolls (Rohliky), or Herb Baguette.
Vegetable Preparation for the Base Salad
To start this cold appetizer, I focus on the root vegetables for the base salad. I take 1 medium potato and 1 medium carrot, rinse them under cold water, peel them, and dice them into uniform pieces about 3/8” in size. I place these diced vegetables together into a medium pot and fill it with water about 1 inch above the vegetables. I cover the pot, bring it to a boil on high heat, and then lower it to medium to cook until fully done, which usually takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Once the potatoes are tender, I add ¼ cup of frozen peas and cook for just an additional 30 seconds. I then drain the water over a colander and place the vegetables on a baking sheet to totally cool before moving on with the Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) recipe.
Flavoring and Finishing the Base Salad
Once the vegetables are fully cooled and placed in a medium mixing bowl, I proceed to the final phase of the base salad. To the cooked vegetables, I add 2 diced medium pickles, ¼ finely chopped onion, and 1 teaspoon of dill pickle juice for acidity. I bind the mixture with ½ cup of mayonnaise and season it with a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper. I thoroughly fold everything together with a spatula and taste to see if more salt or pepper is needed. I find that for the best results, it helps to refrigerate this mixture overnight before the final assembly of the Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) so the ingredients nicely combine.
Mixing the Creamy Russian Sauce
The Russian sauce is a distinct element of this dish. In a small mixing bowl, I combine ¼ cup of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of dill pickle juice, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. I thoroughly stir until fully combined. I aim for a final consistency that is slightly liquid but still creamy, just enough to nicely coat a spoon. If necessary, I dilute it slightly with more dill pickle juice to ensure it flows perfectly over the hard-boiled egg in the final presentation.
Preparing the Decorative Toppings
The visual appeal of Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) relies on the preparation of the toppings. I peel the hard-boiled eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. I also take small dill pickles, cut them diagonally, and use a paring knife to make partial cuts so they can be fanned out. For the meats, I create cone shapes from the ham slices, pushing them slightly to ensure they hold their shape, and insert a cone of pepperoni salami inside the ham. I also prepare a pastry bag filled with ¼ cup of mayonnaise and have my chopped pimiento peppers ready. These steps ensure the cold appetizer looks as good as it tastes.
The Assembly Process in Glasses
I assemble the Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) directly into 4 medium to large martini or wine glasses. First, I scoop about ¼ of the base salad (roughly 4 to 5.33 OZ) into each glass. I place half of a hard-boiled egg, yolk side down, on top of the salad. Next, I pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared Russian sauce over the egg. I place the ham and pepperoni cone next to the egg, followed by 1 teaspoon of chopped pimiento peppers. I position the fanned-out pickle between the egg and ham. Finally, I use the pastry bag to pipe a little mayonnaise in the center to tie the ingredients together and sprinkle the egg with finely chopped chives or parsley.
Refrigeration for Optimal Flavor
While the components can be used immediately, I strongly suggest planning ahead. In the instructions for the base salad, I mention that for the best results, you should refrigerate the mixture overnight before step 4 (assembly). This allows the flavors of the potato, carrot, pickles, and mayonnaise to meld, creating a more cohesive and flavorful base salad for the Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce). This patience results in a superior cold appetizer.
Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce)
Ingredients:
Click any ingredient to learn moreBase salad ingredients:
1 potato (medium size)
1 carrot (medium size)
¼ peas - fresh (or defrosted frozen)
2 pickles - canned, drained and diced (reserve some liquid) (medium size)
¼ onion - peeled and finely chopped
1 TSP of dill pickle juice (water from dill pickle jar)
½ cup of mayonnaise
Pinch of salt
¼ TSP of pepper - ground (ideally freshly ground)
Russian sauce:
¼ cup of mayonnaise
2 TBSP of dill pickle juice (adjust if needed)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Toppings:
2 eggs - hard boiled
2 dill pickles - drained (small size)
4 TSP of pimiento peppers (chili) - canned, drained and finely chopped
¼ cup of mayonnaise
4 slices of ham (preferably basic boiled ham or rectangular-sized, but you can use any ham you like * )
4 slices of pepperoni salami
chives - finely chopped (or parsley)
* Try to select the thinner slices, but it is possible to also work with thicker slices (it is slightly more difficult).
Tools:
Click any tool to learn more1x Peeler
1x Chef’s knife
1x Plastic Wrap
1x Paring Knife
1x Piano Whisk
1x Disher (4 OZ)
1x Small Spoon
1x Pastry Bag with Pastry tips ((optional))
Nutrition per 1 Serving:(recipe split into 4 servings)
EstimatedCalories 655
Protein 15.9 g
Fat 58.8 g
Saturated fat 12.3 g
Carbohydrate 17.7 g
Sugars 2.2 g
Fiber 2.4 g
Sodium 1566 mg
Cholesterol 138 mg
Gluten-freeDairy-free
Estimated. Worked out from the ingredients above using the United States Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central reference data. An estimate, not a measurement — brands, sizes and how much of a marinade actually ends up on the plate all move it.
Directions:
1.Base Salad:
1.1.
Potato, carrot, & peas preparation and cooking:
1.1.1.
Rinse potato and carrot under cold water.
1.1.2.
Then peel.
1.1.3.
Dice potato and carrot into uniform dices (size about 3/8”).
1.1.4.
Place together into a medium pot and then fill the pot with water (about 1” above the level of the vegetables).
1.1.5.
Cover the pot with a lid and place on a high heat burner. Bring to a boil.
1.1.6.
Lower heat to medium and boil until fully cooked (about 12 – 15 minutes). Take one of the potatoes out and taste to make sure it is done.
1.1.7.
Then add:
¼ cup of frozen peas
Cook for an additional 30 seconds (this is enough time to even cook frozen peas).
1.1.8.
1.1.9.
Drain the water by pouring over a colander and place on a baking sheet to totally cool.
1.1.10.
1.1.9. When fully cooled, place into a medium mixing bowl.
1.2.
Final phase:
1.2.1.
Add into a medium mixing bowl:
2 medium pickles – diced
¼ medium onion – finely chopped
1 TSP of dill pickle juice
½ cup of mayonnaise
Pinch of salt
¼ TSP of ground pepper
Thoroughly fold together with a spatula.
1.2.2.
Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
1.2.3.
1.2.3. Use soon for step 4 (assembly) or for best results, refrigerate overnight before step 4 (so ingredients nicely combine).
2.Russian Sauce:
2.1.
Place into a small mixing bowl:
¼ cup of mayonnaise
2 TBSP of dill pickle juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
And thoroughly stir until fully combined.
Note: The final sauce should be slightly liquidly but still creamy (just enough to nicely coat the spoon). Optionally, slightly dilute with more dill pickle juice.
3.Topping Preparation:
3.1.
Hard-boiled eggs: Peel and then cut into half lengthwise (each portion will have half of the egg).
3.2.
Dill pickle: Cut each diagonally and then using a paring knife, perform a cut through each pickle (I usually go from the thicker side, but that decision is up to you). The goal of cutting the pickle is to be able to open the pickle into a nice fanned-out shape in later steps – so do not cut totally through. Each portion will have half of the pickle.
3.3.
Mayonnaise: Fill a pastry bag with ¼ cup of mayonnaise.
4.Assemble:
4.1.
Assemble directly in each of 4 glasses, each glass will have the ingredients in the following order and amount:
4.1.1.
Scoop about ¼ of the total amount of the base salad into each glass (about 4 OZ to 5.33 OZ each).
4.1.2.
Place half of the egg (egg yolk down) on the top of the base salad.
4.1.3.
Pour over egg about 1 to 2 TBSP of Russian sauce prepared in step 2.
4.1.4.
Create a cone from the ham slice and place it on the top of the base salad right next to the egg and then slightly push in to make sure that the cone will not open.
4.1.5.
Then create another cone shape from the pepperoni salami and insert into the ham.
4.1.6.
Then place next to the egg 1 TSP of chopped pimiento peppers.
4.1.7.
Place half of the pickle between the egg and the ham and try to open it into nice fanned-out shape.
4.1.8.
Take the pastry bag and pipe out a little bit of mayonnaise right into the center to nicely tie all ingredients together.
4.1.9.
Then gently sprinkle the egg part with little bit of finely chopped chives or parsley.
5.Serve with a slice of bread, roll, or baguette.
Popular questions
Can I prepare the vegetable base for Russian Eggs (Ruské Vejce) ahead of time?
Yes, I actually recommend it. For the best results, I suggest refrigerating the base salad overnight before assembling the glasses so the ingredients and flavors have time to nicely combine.
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