Bramborový Salát

The story

Bramborový salát — potato salad with mayonnaise, eggs, carrots, celery root, and pickles — is the inseparable companion to the carp on Christmas Eve, a pairing considered so essential in Czech homes that many families make the salad days ahead and in large quantities, enough for the whole holiday rather than a single evening. The recipe differs in its details from house to house: some chop the pickles fine, others leave them in chunks, and still others insist on adding peas or apple for a touch of sweetness. The salad is prepared cold and served at room temperature, a perfect counterweight to the hot fried fish. Though it resembles the potato salads of neighboring Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary, the Czech version is typically bound with mayonnaise and a little mustard for a creamy, lightly tangy flavor. For the diaspora, bramborový salát is one of the easiest parts of Christmas Eve dinner to make in advance while the rest of the menu is still on the stove.