Hey everybody! It’s another edition of Cost Per Serving, where we figure out how much a meal costs and find its place on the Frugal Deliciousness Spectrum. Today, for the first time we are going to Russia.
Every culture has their version of cheap eats, and like my people, the Irish, the Russians’ staple cheap food is potatoes. A big pot of plain mashed potatoes might be one of the cheapest things you could eat. But I don’t even want to calculate the cost of that, because it would make me depressed… because that’s what terrorists eat.
This recipes mixes the potatoes up with some other root vegetables, peas, and some more Eastern European favorites, sauerkraut and pickles. Let’s see how it shapes up cost wise.
Ingredients for Vitamin Salad
| Ingredient | Cost | Size of Package | Cost Per Unit | Amount Used | Cost Per Recipe |
| Large Potatoes | $1.99 | 5 lb | $0.80 | 2 potatoes | $0.80 |
| Carrots | $3.99 | 5 lb | $0.10 | 2 carrots | $0.20 |
| Beets | $2.99 | 3 / One bunch | $1.00 | 3 beets | $2.99 |
| Green Peas | $1.89 | 2 lb | $0.32/ cup | 1/2 cup | $0.16 |
| Onion | $3.99 | 5 lb | $0.40 | 1 onion | $0.40 |
| Sauerkraut | $1.99 | 2 lb | $0.50/ cup | 1 cup | $0.50 |
| Pickles | $2.99 | 32 oz | $0.30 | 1 pickle | $0.30 |
| Fake Miracle Whip | $2.29 | 30 oz | $0.04/ tbsp | A few gobs | $0.15 |
| Total | $5.50 | ||||
| Servings | 6 | ||||
| Cost Per Serving | $0.92 |
Just as I expected, the beets really drove the price. I wish beets were as cheap as potatoes. Why aren’t they? I also realize now that we get all of our pickles from Marge’s grandfather, who makes them himself. So those are free pickles you’re looking at! To get the cost for the Average Joe who does not have a Pickle Grandfather, I used a big jar of store brand pickles from the grocery store.
This recipe was in the newspaper about a year ago. The recipe is not online, but you can read the accompanying article about the cook, Julia Popova. You might be asking yourself, why does her food look normal and my version looks radioactive pink? It’s probably due to One Weird Trick I employed, where I switched out the olive oil for Fake Miracle Whip. Don’t even think about knocking Fake Miracle Whip in the comments. I already know what you’re going to say.
The featured picture doesn’t show the finished dish’s full pinkness, so I’ll post that now. Put on your sunglasses…
MY EYES!
You might also notice that the ingredients photo shows olive oil, but my ingredients lists Fake Miracle Whip. I took the picture before I realized that Fake Miracle Whip would be my preferred, er, lubrication for a meal like this.
The recipe isn’t that difficult. Basically, you boil the carrots, beets, and potatoes until they are all tender. Beets should be on the bottom of the pot, potatoes above that, and carrots on top, so they all finish around the same time. After those are cooked, you chop them up, and add the other ingredients, chopping up the pickles and onions along the way. Then you throw in a few gobs of Miracle Whip, or as I prefer, knockoff Miracle Whip.
It was lacking in flavor, though. It was definitely healthy, but since most of the vegetables are boiled, they are not super flavorful themselves, except maybe the beets, and you get a lot of sour saltiness from the sauerkraut and pickles.
Deliciousness Rating: 5
(Where 1 is gross, 5 is good, and 10 is THE BEST FOOD EVER)
The standings so far:
Have a recipe you think is cheap and delicious? Send it to me and I’ll eat it! – norm@ridinkulous.net –
* The stated deliciousness of each recipe is solely the opinion of the author. Cost is objective, but your tastes may vary.