Oseledets pid Shuboyu (оселедець під шубою, herring salad)

The first honest thing about this salad is that it hides the fish. Salted herring goes down sharp and silver, onion over it, then potato, carrot, egg, and beet until the whole thing wears a crimson coat so bright it looks almost rude on a winter table. You bring it out cold, slice it like cake, and the layers sag a little at the edges. Good. Food for people does that.

Shuba means fur coat, and the joke is better than it sounds in English. The herring needs covering: potato softens the salt, carrot brings sweetness, beet gives earth and colour, and mayonnaise carries everything through the night so separate boiled roots become one salad. Aunt Nadia's note only said, "let it sleep, don't poke it," which is bossy and correct.

This is a New Year's table dish in my London kitchen now, but it still tastes of southern winter: jars opened, root vegetables from the cold pantry, herring rinsed under the tap because it came saltier than expected. Make it the day before. That's not convenience; that is the method. One platter is enough for eight guests or one hungry Ukrainian hovering by the fridge after midnight.