Finnish Beet Salad

Description
Traditionally (and this is how you would want to make it for a dinner party), just before serving you would carefully add the beets- because if the beets are added too long before serving, the salad will turn a deep pink, whereas some people prefer it tinted only mildly pink; then you would turn into a salad bowl lined with crisp lettuce and serve chilled with the sour cream dressing mixture on the side.

However, I make the salad for picnics and potlucks and so I mix it all together - not worrying about any steps in preparation - just stir it all together at once, put it in the serving container, put crumbled bacon over the top, and let it chill for at least an hour before I let anybody at it; it comes out nicely bright pink, which I find attractive and kids like.

Ingredients

 * 2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled,and diced (i prefer white or large new potatoes, which have a less grainy texture)
 * 2 tart apples, peeled and diced
 * 2 carrots, peeled,cooked,and diced
 * 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
 * 2 medium dill pickles, diced or grated
 * ¾ cup diced pickled herring (optional) or salted herring (optional) or minced sardines (optional) or anchovies (optional)
 * ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
 * 2 cups cooked beets, peeled and diced
 * 1 cup sour cream
 * 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 * 2 teaspoons beet juice
 * ¼ teaspoon salt
 * 1 dash sugar
 * crumbled bacon (optional)

Directions

 * 1) Combine the potatoes, apples, carrots, onion, pickles, white pepper, and herring (if you're using it).
 * 2) Mix together the sour cream with the lemon juice, beet juice, salt, and sugar until well blended to make the sour cream dressing.