This is really Svetlana's recipe but she said I could use it. It's similar to a Russian salad called 'Herring Under a Fur Coat' except, of course, there's no herring in it. Sveta uses boiled eggs but I've taken them out.
Ingredients
700g beetroot
400g carrots
1kg potatoes
500g pickled cucumbers
1 large onion
600g egg-free mayonnaise
Boil the potatoes, beetroot, and carrots whole, in their skins, until soft. It's best to use separate pots, as each vegetable takes a different time to cook. You know when they are ready when you can stick a fork in them easily. Leave them to cool.
Peel the boiled vegetables, the onion and shell the eggs, then grate all the ingredients (yes, even the onion and cucumbers) keeping them apart from each other.
Finally, build up the cake in layers with two dessert spoons of mayonnaise between each layer. The order isn't important, but it's best to keep enough beetroot for a final layer which will cover the sides - it looks nice. Keep enough mayonnaise to glaze the cake as a finishing touch.
Put the cake in the fridge for at least 3 or 4 hours, but preferably overnight, before serving.