This Russian potato salad with mayonaise is a dinner favorite for the holidays. It can be made ahead and goes with anything, especially with bread and cheese.
Place whole potatoes in a large pot, cover them with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium, partially cover with a lid and cook potatoes until easily pierced with a fork, 40-60 minutes (depends on the size of potatoes.)
Transfer cooked potatoes to a large bowl of cold water. Remove the skins, chop the potatoes into 1-inch (2.5 cm) bits and transfer them to a very large mixing bowl.
As the potatoes cook, bring another pot of salted water to a boil and cook frozen peas and carrots until they are fork tender. Drain them and add them to a large mixing bowl (the same you'll use for potatoes).
Ass the other vegetables cook, place eggs in a medium pot, cover them with water, put on a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the pot from heat and keep eggs covered. Let them sit for 15 minutes. Then rinse eggs under cold water, peel and finely chop the eggs. Add to the bowl with peas and carrots.
Meanwhile, as all the ingredients cook, finely chop the pickles. Transfer them to the same mixing bowl.
Once you have all the vegetables and eggs, stir them well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout. Add mayonnaise, pickle brine, red wine vinegar and a teaspoon of salt. Stir thoroughly and taste, then season more if needed.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the salad in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight. Taste it again before serving and add more mayonnaise if needed (as the potatoes soak some up). Store leftover salad covered in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days.
Notes
The best potatoes for this salad are the same you would use for mashed potatoes - Yukon gold, "old" potatoes, yellow potatoes with a tough skin.