This is part II of the recipe recap of the very first full Russian meal prepared by me. The chicken Kiev was definitely the star of the show (and quite time consuming!) so I chose to keep the side dishes simple. Potatoes and mushrooms (finished with sour cream) are as traditional as it gets. The simple salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers… and yes, sour cream, again – is another dish that we ate almost daily growing up. It really added a great fresh component to the fried main dish. The key is to have simple, gorgeous ingredients that will stand up for themselves. Ready for the recipe? [If I can even call it that...]
Ingredients (serves 6):
- 4-6 medium potatoes (or more smaller ones)
- 1/2lb chanterelle mushrooms (any other wild mushrooms would work)
- 1/2lb baby bella mushrooms (these are a lot cheaper than chantereles, if you can afford it – go 100% wild)
- 2T butter
- 2-3T canola oil
- 3T sour cream
1. Peel potatoes, then cut them into matchsticks (fry shapes)
[Thanks, mom, for doing this part! 
]
2. Melt butter in a large sautee pan on medium-high heat
3. Add mushrooms, and sautee for about 15 minutes until all the water released evaporates (I actually like to close the lid at first to let them sweat, then I open it 5 minutes in)
4. Remove mushrooms, increase heat to high and add oil, then potatoes
5. After 5 minutes, decrease heat back to medium-high – fry for another 15 minutes (again, I kind of like to close the lid for part of it to make sure they steam and really cook through)
6. Add mushrooms back in the pan, reheat for a few minutes
7. Add sour cream, heat for a few minutes
Voila!
Like I said above, a tomato cucumber salad is a beautiful fresh counterpart to this indulgent buttery side.
You’re going to see a lot more potatoes and sour cream on the blog. It’s kind of our thing. 
Guess what’s coming next? Yup, dessert – my favorite part of any meal! 
What’s your favorite side dish?
:
Looks good!!! I love home fries! I like your comment
“You’re going to see a lot more potatoes and sour cream on the blog. It’s kind of our thing.
”
Pat always says I haven’t met a potato I didn’t like!
Hehe, love it!
The entire meal sounds delicious. This is the kind of comfort food we all talk about.
Hi Elina,
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I didn’t realize you lived in Russia and Israel too. Enjoy your blog break on the other site!
Oh yum! I love that you feature these Russian treats on your site, it’s so interesting!
The fried potatoes and mushrooms look really hearty and perfect for winter!
You know how I feel about mushrooms, but despite my aversion this dish looks delicious!
As far as side dishes go, for me it totally depends on what the main course is. For simple grilled/baked/roasted meat or fish, I love roasted veggies in the winter and fresh salads in the summer. Cornbread is a necessity if chili is on the menu, as is guacamole with any type of Mexican fare.
Looking forward to reading about the dessert (my favorite part, too!).
Was looking forward to seeing the rest of the meal. This is so interesting for me (I’m a chef, but still…., I’ve not ever known much about Russian foods), except vaguely knowing potatoes featured high on the menus
I can imagine the kartoshka s gribami dish would be so yummy & rich too. Looking forward to seeing what’s for dessert now
ooh, i’m all over that potato/mushroom dish! i’d be hard pressed to come up with a favorite side though
You cut those potatoes into perfect fry shapes! What an excellent recipe. Simple yet satisfying.
Mushrooms and potatoes and sour cream? So comforting and yummy! This looks like a really easy way to get started on Russian cuisine!
[...] and I did have salad with [...]
mmm – can’t go wrong with potatoes and mushrooms! Good call on the lighter side dish to compliment. Looks delicious.
Will be making this tonight. Shame on me for not knowing how to make this, given that I’m Ukrainian. This will be my other dish for lamb chops. Potatoes, Lamb chops, a salad, and some asparagus… yum!
How did it go?? It really is such an important staple in Soviet cuisine. Hope you nailed it last night!
DO the potatoes come out more mushy or more crispy?
Tanya, they’re kind of in between I guess but on the crispier side…although not as crispy as say, French fries! Also, it depends on how much you crowd your pan – the less potatoes are in there, the crispier they can get
Yep sour cream is our thing lol my husbands boss always makes fun of us regarding the sour cream, and any dish my husband eats at work his boss asks if there’s sour cream in there, which usually there is lol. I didnt realize that “we” use sour cream in almost everything until he pointed it out
Hehe, “we” totally use sour cream all the time… and I’m ok with that