Wurst Salad

No, we’re not talking about the worst salad. This is WURST salad, or sausage salad, a popular snack all across Germany. Although the recipe varies by region, this tasty dish typically contains some sort of boiled German sausage (e.g., Lyoner, stadtwurst, regensburger), a mild, Swiss-like cheese (e.g., Emmanthaler), and some sort of simple dressing made from oil and vinegar. Other common additions are radishes, gherkins, and fresh herbs.

This particular recipe utilizes a slightly sweeter, mustard-based dressing, and is inspired by a salad we enjoyed thoroughly while visiting Trier, Germany.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound sausage (e.g., knackwurst, stadtwurst, Lyonder), cooked and sliced

5 ounces cheese (Swiss, Gouda, Emmathaler), sliced

4 radishes, thinly sliced and halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

5 gherkins, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon German mustard or stone ground mustard

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons liquid from the canned gherkins

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine sausage, cheese, radishes, onion, gherkins, and parsley.

In another smaller bowl, add the mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, gherkin liquid, and vegetable oil. Mix together until well combined.

Pour the mustard mixture over the sausage mixture. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.