FRENCH SALAD - FRANCIA SALÁTA

In my youth I used to be the errand girl for my family. Numerous aunts and uncles would call on my freely provided services. Navigating Budapest meant there were times I had to eat on the run. One of the quintessential fast foods I could afford was French Salad. I used to buy 100 grams of this stuff in a közért (grocery store) with a crusty bun. They would put it on a flimsy paper tray and wrap it up with tissue paper. I would scoop it up with my bun. 

I LOVED French Salad. What gives it the unique taste is the addition of a freshly peeled and diced apple. But each and every vegetable is important, if you cannot find it you may have to omit the celery root, [celery root or celeriac is a root vegetable, it is not celery and it tastes nothing like celery], but none of the other vegetable should be cut or replaced, because then it will not taste like French Salad.

FRENCH SALAD 

3/4 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup potatoes, diced
3/4 cup celery root, diced
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 apple, peeled and diced
Hungarian Tartar Sauce:
1 cup [preferably homemade] mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugar
  
• Uniformly dice the vegetables.
• Steam separately each vegetable.
• Do not overcook.
• Set aside vegetables to cool.

• In the meantime prepare the Hungarian Tartar Sauce.
• Once cooled to room temperature place the vegetables in a medium sized bowl.
• Add the diced apple and combine.
• Gently toss with Hungarian Tartare Sauce.

The vegetables have to be cooked separately. They must not be mushy.